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

 Empire of Ink by Alex Wright

A fresh, often startling account of newspapers’ early years.

Reading all about it, way back when. In this engaging account, Wright, author of Cataloging the World: Paul Outlet and the Birth of the Information Age (2014), writes that 18th-century European printers worked for governments and booksellers, but their colonial counterparts were not just tradespeople but writers, editors, and provocateurs; our Revolution might not have happened without them. It was less our Constitution than two obscure laws that enshrined America’s press. Until tightened in 1909, the Copyright Act of 1790 excluded newspapers, so editors happily plagiarized from rivals and any writing that might entertain readers. The Post Office Act of 1792 provided a massive subsidy. At the time, mailing personal letters cost 6 to 25 cents; a newspaper might cost a penny. During that period, newspapers constituted perhaps 95% of U.S. mail, which reached everywhere, providing an information exchange anticipating today’s social media. Wright concentrates on the 19th century, when newspapers thrived. Many were small-town, one-person operations whose editors relied on scissors and paste, cutting stories from rivals to revise and republish along with local gossip, scandal, advertising, poems, and essays. Advances included making paper from wood instead of rags, which reduced costs by more than 90%. Hand-operated presses of 1800 were replaced by rotary, steam-operated models in the 1830s, 10 times faster, and then by the spectacular 1886 linotype, which eliminated human typesetters. By 1900, journalism became capital-intensive, attracting powerful printer-publishers such as Hearst, Pulitzer, and Newhouse, who soon dominated the industry but also created professional journalism that emphasized accuracy over advocacy and opinion. The first journalism school dates from 1908. Deploring the ongoing newspaper crisis (one-third of them have closed since 2005), Wright strains to find a silver lining, suggesting that the viral dynamics of social media may revive the free-wheeling artisanal industry of the 1800s.

 Two Ships by David S. Reynolds

An exploration of the contending cultures of North and South, long before the Civil War began. At the time of the Civil War, speakers and writers on both sides of the divide were fond of evoking the example of the two ships of Reynolds’ title. One was the White Lion, a British privateer that in 1619 seized a cargo of enslaved Africans from a Portuguese ship and took them to Virginia to be sold as chattel. The second was the Mayflower, which, a year later, brought Puritan colonists to chartered lands in Massachusetts. It’s something of an irony, as Reynolds writes, that the early Puritans “showed little antislavery sentiment,” and indeed, it was Oliver Cromwell who seized Jamaica and turned it into one vast slave plantation. Still, the two colonial regions were very different. As Reynolds notes, borrowing an aperçu from a fellow historian, “the North was a society with slaves, while the South was a slave society.” Drawing in turn on the seminal work of historian David Hackett Fischer, Reynolds charts the differences: The South was governed by the descendants of monarchists, given to a rigid system of social classes and inclined to leisure, while New England was populated by people of a resolutely democratic bent and the firm belief that “the only monarch…was Christ.” (It’s another irony, as Reynolds notes in passing, that both Virginia and the Plymouth Colony were administratively founded by the same man: the British entrepreneur Robert Rich.) The Puritans may have been slow to come around to opposing slavery, but of course they did, setting those two ships on an inevitable collision course. Indeed, as Reynolds also observes, it was the Puritans’ insistence on defending the rights of ordinary people of whatever race that the abolitionist cause flourished, with the Mayflower coming to be seen as “a driver of radical causes.”

 Lightning Beneath the Sea by James M. Tabor

Far more than basic cable. Tabor, author of the pulse-quickening Blind Descent: The Quest To Discover the Deepest Place on Earth (2010) goes deep again—underwater this time—to explore the largely forgotten history of the transatlantic telegraph cable. He’s resurfaced an engrossing tale, with much relevance to our time. At its heart is Cyrus Field, who at age 15 in 1835 ventured from rural Massachusetts to New York City and became, by his early 30s, in Tabor’s words, “one of the glittering metropolis’s richest men” by selling paper. Searching for his “next big project,” Field had a chance encounter with Frederic Newton Gisborne, an English inventor who pitched him the idea of joining the Old and New Worlds by a telegraph line—and carrier pigeons. Gisborne had lost his shirt trying to finance the system, but perhaps Field would be interested? The “sheer improbability” of Gisborne’s proposal attracted Field. And then the millionaire had a better idea: Drop the telegraph line to the floor of the Atlantic. Brilliant, but easier said than done. As Tabor recounts, Field’s ambitious plan stretched over a dozen years, and missions to lay cable ended in disaster. Designing a cable was one thing, but sinking it 10,000 feet into the Atlantic—under extreme pressure, along jagged terrain—was another. Doing so during dangerous storms did not help. Tabor is very good at immersing the reader in the grimy world of marine industrial work: the steam engines, cogwheels, and tons of cable. The cable itself was insulated by a resin called gutta-percha, from trees in Malaysia and Indonesia. Field’s eventual success led him to be celebrated as the “new Columbus,” but as Tabor writes, his cable “remained hidden,” and fame faded. Ironically, he observes, “up to 98 percent of information travels around the planet not on satellites, as many people assume, but through fiber-optic submarine cables that are direct descendants of Field’s transatlantic forerunner.”

 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.

New Young Adult

 Shadow Reaper by Lynette Noni

A hunter of magic-stealing reapers aspires to find her parents’ murderer in this duology opener from bestselling Australian author Noni. On Elverdine Isle, ellixen is needed to fuel the four obsidian obelisks that protect the city of Aravell from the lethal blackmist. Reapers, who are addicted to this magic, siphon off ellixen to increase their own power—mostly taking from children, who possess more than adults. People need only a drop of ellixen to live, so during the Impartation ceremony, children under age 14 donate nearly all their ellixen to the obelisks, nearly eliminating the risk of a deadly reaper attack. Seventeen-year-old reaper hunter Viridia Solace, who’s pale, with silver-streaked red hair and lavender eyes, learns that Reeve Ashton, part of the elusive Reaper Priest’s inner circle, has been captured. Desperate to confront the Priest and avenge his murder of her parents seven years ago, Viri infiltrates the prison where charismatic “golden-tanned” Reeve is being held. The two have a complex history, and he promises to answer Viri’s questions about the Priest in return for help escaping. Kidnappings, shocking twists, and romance unfold against the backdrop of imaginative worldbuilding, making for an utterly engrossing tale. Noni artfully portrays Viri’s conflicted feelings of attraction to and mistrust of Reeve, who expresses himself with dry wit. Revelations about their past add depth, beautifully heightening their already charged passions.

 Fearless by Lauren Roberts

Bestselling romantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and The Red Queen.  Paedyn Gray and Kai Azer return to the Kingdom of Ilya…  Paedyn has a life-altering choice to make. Whatever she decides will determine her fate—and the fate of those around her—forever.  In the ultimate battle of love and loyalty, who wins?

 In Case I go Missing by R.N. Swann

In this twisty debut, two teens piece together clues left by their missing friend. In their tiny South Dakota town of Richmand, which is best known for its apocryphal gold mines, best friends Sarah Vincenty, Sam Kelly, and Fenny Allen band together under Sarah’s strong direction, catching cheating boyfriends in action and discovering the truth about crimes, like who hit elderly little dog Mr. Puffins with their car. When Sarah goes missing, Fenny (who’s “the getaway driver, or the distraction, or the lookout” of the operation) and Sam (who’s “the brain”) quickly learn that her disappearance is highly suspicious. Sarah is no runaway; she left them a binder entitled “In Case I Go Missing,” complete with a suspect list—but four pages have been torn out. As the pair searches for the truth about Sarah’s fate, they find themselves embroiled in a townwide plot spanning generations. Richmand’s shadowy history may harbor ominous secrets that residents are willing to kill for. Swann’s fast-paced mystery is immersive and tightly plotted, drawing the reader into the fictional town and its cleverly wrought history. The narrative’s emotional depth, exploring themes like grief, addiction, and trauma, should resonate with fans of Megan Lally who appreciate encountering revelations with a tissue at the ready. 

 Ancient History Between Us by Kaitlyn Hill

A college student spends the summer trying to discover herself—and a love she thought was long gone. Camilla Lovett was born on an archaeological dig site in Italy. Twenty years later, she returns to Villa di Bronzo to meet up with her mother and take part in a documentary about its discovery. But Cammie has an ulterior motive for going: She doesn’t know who her father is, only that he was part of the same dig, had a fling with her mom, and “opted out of the very long-term commitment of raising the tiny human they accidentally created.” Armed with her mother’s journal, Cammie plans to retrace the events from two decades ago. But she didn’t plan on facing her own past in the form of Weston Jacobs, former best friend and first love. West and Cammie spent the first 16 years of their lives together, traveling from one dig to another with their archaeologist parents, until the day the white-presenting teens shared their first kiss, and everything blew up. Now, for the first time in three years, they’re in the same place. Initially, Cammie is snarky toward West, and he’s dealing with spiraling anxiety, but they find themselves drawn together. The pacing is consistent, unfolding in a gentle, unhurried way. Hill’s latest weaves adventurous moments into a sweet love story that explores identity, love, and family.

 The Heirs by Faridah Abike-Iyimide

When a billionaire is found dead on his yacht, his teenage children become suspects. Sixteen years ago, billionaire Leontes Button, founder of the global sensation Button Games, a puzzle and toy company, infamously embarked on a test of his provocative theory about nature versus nurture, despite ethical concerns from the scientific community. Button hypothesized that a child taken from an orphanage could be made into a genius. His five “experiments (also known as his children)” unknowingly sealed their fate as babies by crawling toward objects that represented specific fields of achievement. Adopted from countries around the world, they were subjected to tutoring, strictly controlled diets, and countless hours of practice to mold them into true prodigies. Now 17, Fola the Brain, Octavius the Maestro, Bilal the Olympian, Perdita the Artist, and Romeo the Failure struggle to have relationships with their father—or with one another. The siblings reluctantly reunite for Leontes’ annual Prodigy Ball at Button Manor in New York’s Westchester County. But when their father is found dead, all the attendees, themselves included, are suspects. 

New Children's

 Wildspeak by Sangma Francis

An exquisite and wondrous celebration of nature’s vocabulary. Ada and Cora embark on exploratory rambles through stream, meadow, beach, mountain, and forest, collecting both specimens and the precise words that name what they see. Francis introduces readers to terms such as eddies (twisting currents) and scree (scattered mountain stones), weaving genuine nature terminology with invented compounds like stonelight and bottomshimmer. The narrative pulses with quiet wonder, enticing young naturalists to see wastelands transformed into “wildy-ness” teeming with “concrete breakers,” “rooty spies,” and “creeping petals.” Vangsnes’ watercolor, pastel, and collage illustrations create textured landscapes where golden meadows dissolve into abstract dots of light, forest canopies glow with “fairygold” luminescence, and tide pools become kaleidoscopic arrangements of sea stars and rockweed. Her compositional choices mirror the children’s shifting perspectives: aerial views of hillside scrambles, intimate close-ups of “websparkle” on dewdrops, expansive night skies swirling with possibility. The art has an organic energy; words dance across pages in varied fonts and orientations, visual onomatopoeia for wildspeak itself. Scrapbook-style endpapers featuring Ada and Cora’s nature journal sketches extend the invitation to observe, name, and create.

 Turkey's Sandtastic Beach Day by Wendi Silvano

Will Turkey ever be able to enjoy the beach? Farmer Jake has set up a petting zoo on the beach boardwalk for the Summer Children’s Festival. All the animals are “happy to be there….Mostly.” But Turkey wants to leave the enclosure and explore. “I’ve never even had a chance to walk on a beach!” he exclaims. “So…long time, no sea?” chuckles Rooster. “Baaaad joke!” says Sheep. More delightfully groanworthy puns are sprinkled throughout the story as Turkey, helped by his farm friends, attempts to sneak onto the beach. First, Turkey disguises himself as a crab with beach ball eyes, a life-preserver body, and toy shovel claws. “Turkey looked just like a crab…almost.” Turkey scuttles to the water but is soon discovered by the lifeguard and guided back to the petting zoo. Turkey also becomes a seashell, a surfer, and a shark. Unfortunately, his costumes don’t fool the lifeguard or Farmer Jake. When Farmer Jake falls asleep, Rooster has the “gobbledy-great idea” of entering the sand-sculpture contest. Turkey’s dream comes true when the animals’ “Turkey Town” sculpture wins the grand prize—a free stay at a house on their own private beach. 

 Screen Time! by Georgie Birkett

A young badger and her parents battle excessive screen use. When Doris was a tiny stripy cub, she loved observing the world around her. She delighted in books, and she imagined she was “Madame Sparkle-Nose” (a fantastic dancer) and “Expert Fancy-Pants” (a makeup artist whose main client was Daddy). But when Doris grows a bit older, she discovers the magnetic pull of screens. She uses Mommy and Daddy’s phones, the tablet, and the television to watch Bertie Banana, her favorite show. The program is available anywhere, anytime. And if Doris isn’t watching it, she shouts with all her might, “BERTIE BANANA!” Daddy decides it’s time for a break. He lets Doris pack her own bag (with everything but a screen), and they go outside to Cheery Woods, where they join other families, and everyone’s imagination soars. Happily, Birkett includes adults in the light admonishment: “And Daddy didn’t look at his phone either!” Screen time isn’t banished, but more breaks to visit Cheery Woods are built in. Direct questions to readers peppered throughout (“What games do you like to play outside?”) provide a greater connection to Doris and will hopefully encourage readers to think about their own digital habits.

 Incredibly Fast and Not at All Fun by Tadgh Bentley

A bear who just wants a bit of quiet accidentally comes up with the thrill seeker’s favorite ride. Who knew that, as an omniscient narrator puts it, “the world’s first roller coaster was invented almost entirely by mistake”? We learn that it was the work of a bear who wanted “a quick and easy way to get from the stillness of home…to the calm of his beehives.” The Honey Runner, as Bear dubs his creation—a wooden cart on an elevated track—is faster and steeper than he’d like it to be, but it attracts the attention of an assortment of animals who clamor to ride it. The Honey Runner becomes a sensation, and Bear has no choice but to add more carts to satisfy the curious. The humor in this “different strokes” story stems from Bear’s cluelessness regarding his invention’s appeal. “Why would anyone want to be jostled around like that?” he wonders. He has a brainstorm: Surely if he builds a steeper slope, riders will be turned off? Bentley gives the bulbous-snouted inventor a hilariously skeptical expression throughout the book’s digital art, created with a sun-kissed woodsy palette. The best gag is saved for last: In search of a peaceful life, Bear leaves the Honey Runner behind for a spot beside a waterfall, which readers won’t fail to observe would make a fantastic waterslide.

 I'm Not Scared, You're Scared! by Seth Meyers

Unlikely friends Bear and Rabbit face fears together. The anthropomorphic creatures set out on an adventure. Graphic-based illustrations give the book a Pixar movie feel, with a variety of page layouts that keep the story moving. Large blocks of black text are heavy on dialogue patterns as timid Bear and bold Rabbit encounter obstacles. Bear fears every one of them, from the stream to the mountain. He’ll do anything to avoid the objects of terror: taking a bus, a train, and even a helicopter. As Rabbit asks Bear if he’s frightened, Bear repeatedly responds, “I’m not scared, you’re scared!” and children will delight in the call-and-response opportunities. Adults may tire of the refrain, but attempts to keep everyone entertained are evident in asides about Bear's inability to brush food from his teeth (he’s too afraid to look at himself in the mirror) and Rabbit's superstrong ears (which do come in handy later). When Rabbit finds herself in danger after Bear defects on the adventure, Bear retraces the trip. Along the way, he notes that the stream wasn't as deep, nor the mountain as high, as he thought when he was scared. While picture-book shelves may not be screaming for another comedically sweet bear story, especially one that treads such familiar territory, many readers will appreciate this tale of overcoming fears. 

 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.

 Griffin Speaker by Jan M. Flynn

When twelve-year-old Rain bonds with the last wild griffin, she has the chance to change her fortune—and possibly her world.  As an orphan on the lowest rung of society, twelve-year-old Rain is destined for a future of hard labor—until she meets a wild griffin and bonds with him. An old law says that bond entitles Rain to an education at the elite Griffin Riders Academy instead of a life in the mines. But Rain’s Rise threatens to topple Griffin Land’s fragile hierarchy, and those at the top are determined to see her fail. So they task Rain with proving herself: Armed with just her wit and accompanied by her best friend and an unlikely ally, Rain must scale the highest peak in Griffin Land and defeat the monster at its summit. Rain’s success could change the world. But with an impossible quest ahead, will she and her griffin even survive?

 Double Crossed by Rebecca E.F. Barone

(Nonfiction. 10-14) A sweeping chronicle of wartime intelligence that balances historical fact, cinematic tension, and human victory. (historical figures, bibliography, endnotes) The dramatic story of the double agents who helped orchestrate D-Day’s success. By the mid-1940s, MI5 agent Thomas Argyll Robertson had created a network of 35 double agents tasked with deceiving the Abwehr, Nazi Germany’s military intelligence organization, in a massive disinformation campaign called Operation Bodyguard. With D-Day only six months away, time was of the essence. This dramatic story of their mission chronicles the rise of four key spies: Yugoslav Dušan Popov, code name Tricycle, a well-connected lawyer; Spaniard Juan Pujol Garcia, code name Garbo, who was a chicken farmer; Russian-born Frenchwoman Lily Sergueiev, code name Treasure, a dog lover with an incredible memory, and German Johann Jebsen, code name Artist, a member of the Abwehr with access to sensitive information. Each has their own story that’s complicated by real-life relationships, personal desires, and the pressures of war. Each spy’s individual voice and thoughts emerge throughout the book thanks to the inclusion of direct quotations. Barone highlights the gender-based discrimination Sergueiev experienced, and the heartbreaking saga of her separation from her beloved dog, Babs. Once the military campaigns begin, the narration alternates among descriptions of battles, intelligence negotiations, and spy activities, sustaining the momentum. Occasional well-chosen black-and-white photographs appear alongside the relevant text, helping readers visualize people and events. Two epilogues detail the aftermath for the Nazis and the double-crossing spies, respectively.

 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.

 The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate

Beloved gorilla Ivan becomes a father to rambunctious twins in this finale to a quartet that began with 2012’s Newbery Award–winning The One and Only Ivan. Life hasn’t always been easy for silverback gorilla Ivan, who’s spent most of his life being mistreated in captivity. Now he’s living in a wildlife sanctuary, but he still gets to see his two best friends. Young elephant Ruby lives in the grassy habitat next door, and former stray dog Bob has a home with one of the zookeepers. All three were rescued from the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Ivan’s expanded world includes fellow gorilla Kinyani—the two are about to become parents, and Ivan is revisiting the traumas of his past in light of what he wants the twins to know. When the subject inevitably comes up, Applegate’s trust and respect for readers is evident. She doesn’t shy away from hard truths as Ivan wrestles with the fact that poachers killed his family. Readers will need the context provided by knowledge of the earlier books to feel the full emotional impact of this story. The rushed ending unfortunately falls flat, detracting from the central message that a complex life can still contain hope. Final art not seen.

 Press Start: Super Rabbit Boy Blast Off! by Thomas Flintham

Help! Meanie King Viking is causing trouble out in space! Super Rabbit Boy knows he can stop him. But can he fly a wobbly Level 1 Rocketship, stop an army of space robots, and find King Viking? This latest Press Start! adventure is simply out of this world! With full-color art by Thomas Flintham!

 The Last Firehawk: The Shadowlands by Katrina Charman

In this fantasy series, the magical Ember Stone is almost complete! There is only one piece left to find. But Thorn's darkness is spreading faster than ever! Tag, Skyla, and Blaze must cross the dangerous Shadowlands to find the last piece. What-or who-will they meet along the way? Can the friends complete the stone in time to save Perodia? Engaging black-and-white illustrations on every page bring the action alive in this fast-paced early chapter book series! The magical Ember Stone is almost complete! But Tag, Skyla, and Blaze need to act fast-- Thorn's army is nearly here!

 Dragon Masters: Waking the Rainbow Dragon by Tracey West

Dragon Masters Drake and Ana travel to a new land in search of the Rainbow Dragon! Drake has a strange dream about a Rainbow Dragon trapped in a cave. He wonders if the dream could be real... Is the dragon trying to send for help? Griffith the wizard uses the magical Dragon Stone to find out more -- and a new Dragon Master is revealed! Drake and Ana must travel far in search of the new master and his dragon. But how will they find the secret cave from Drake's dream? And why is the Rainbow Dragon trapped there? The Dragon Masters have a tough battle ahead of them!

 Zoey and Sassafras: Unicorn and Germs by Asia Citro

In the sixth book, an earthquake shakes Zoey's house. Or maybe it's a unicorn-quake? An enormous new friend arrives in a lot of pain, and it's getting worse every day. Zoey must work with her mom and Sassafras to find a cure -- and quickly! Each story in the Zoey and Sassafras series features a new magical animal with a problem that must be solved using science. There isn't a set formula for each book; Zoey sometimes needs to run experiments, while other times she needs to investigate a mystery, and yet other times she needs to do research. Zoey models how to keep a science journal through her handwritten entries in each story. Each story is complete with a glossary of the kid-friendly definitions for scientific terms used. The series highlights child-led inquiry science and the topics covered align with both Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.