The Not-So-Lazy Schwa by Yvette Manns, with vibrant illustrations by Ana K. Blu, is a delightful and educational phonics read-aloud that brings the often-overlooked “schwa” sound to life. Schwa, the main character, starts as a laid-back figure who doesn’t feel like he fits in with...

Jasmine Sears's Where the Veil Thins follows the fantastical adventures of a young boy named Kenji. Kenji still has ten more years left before he can bring souls from beyond the veil to reunite them with their loved ones, just like his father. Kenji has...

The Brotherhood of Rain and Cinder by S.C. Megale follows sixteen-year-old Emily, who finds herself in the secluded village of Darson’s Ford, caught amidst rising tensions between the church, the empire, and a secretive Brotherhood accused of resurrecting forbidden fire. In this village, men have...

Butterfly Games: A Novel of the Swedish Royal Court by Kelly Scarborough is set in early 19th-century Sweden, where Countess Jacquette Gyldenstolpe becomes involved with Prince Oscar, heir to the throne, while tensions grow around the recently established Bernadotte monarchy. Raised without much parental involvement...

In The Divide by Ethan Gray, Julia’s father is an alcoholic, and her mother is an irresponsible drug addict. One day at a shopping mall, there is a mass shooting. Julia saves her brother, but she is not so lucky. When she wakes up later,...

A Kid’s Guide to Climate Activism by Kimberly Haidinger educates young readers on the causes and consequences of climate change and empowers them to take actionable steps toward environmental responsibility. It explains how human activities like burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and overconsumption contribute to greenhouse...

Hop into a world of teen secret agents, covert organizations, and espionage with C.W. James' Mission: Red Scythe. It's 1965. After graduating from St. Michael's Academy for Boys in Ashford, Ohio, James Vagus is approached by a mysterious man named John Smith. Smith recruits James...

The Lightning People Play by Tim Cummings is a young adult novel that mixes elements of magical realism with deeply grounded emotion. Kirby Renton is a 14-year-old boy trying to hold his family together. His younger brother Baxter suffers from intense seizures and begins talking...

Marcia Fry-Galbraith’s The Power of Joy details practical approaches to cultivating lasting joy by aligning daily actions with evolving life goals through ongoing self-reflection and adjustment. Fry-Galbraith contrasts joy with fleeting happiness and their fundamental differences. She identifies barriers like stress, trauma, and social pressures,...

In Ian Griffin's Ascend From the Ashes, Katja tried to rebuild her life after the tragedy of her husband, Rick. Katja arranged a meeting with her children to learn their wishes for the future. All of them expressed a desire to follow in their mother's...

Set in 1923, in Chicago, Rowan O'Neill's Gangsters and Demons takes readers on an exhilarating ride during the Prohibition era. The novel follows Jimmy Maloney, an average dock worker simply trying to survive and provide for his family. Soon enough, Jimmy gets pulled into the...

The Prophet and the Queen by W. Tod Newman follows the final days of the prophet Jeremiah as recorded by his scribe Baruch, set during the Babylonian siege of ancient Egypt. Jeremiah, aged and unstable, is taken to Egypt by his followers despite divine prohibition....

Pick A Tissue, Not Your Nose by Terri Michaels is a children’s picture book that tackles one of children’s most persistent habits—nose-picking. Through clever rhymes and wild comparisons, young readers are guided through just how gross (and socially unacceptable) the act really is. Picking your...

How does a suburban community respond when it uncovers a predator hiding in plain sight, operating within the very school system meant to protect its children? In Pinned, Rebecca Chianese reflects on the dissonance between a community’s desire to safeguard its children and its instinct...

Jordan McClellan may not have understood why many things happened as they did in his life. But one thing was clear. He made many bad choices. Born the last of the three children of Eamon McClellan, a former Texas Ranger turned farmer in Oklahoma, and...

In Bangtail Instinct by Bruce Leaf, Tom Sparks is like a spring compressed and held tight; at some point, something will have to give. He’d been in line to inherit the family ranch since birth, a small spread that simply didn’t produce enough in modern...

Silver Lake: Awakening by D.D. Franklin is an intriguing tale centered around a mysterious lake in rural Kansas. The story follows Lena, an innocent young woman with big hopes for the future with her husband, Leonard. Leonard, on the other hand, did not share those...

Through a Soldier’s Eyes recounts the experiences of First Lieutenant Alan Hansen, a support soldier in the Vietnam War, and his relationship with a Vietnamese woman, Hai, who became his girlfriend during his one-year tour. Unlike the combat-focused narratives often told about Vietnam, this story...

When Tethers Fray by Rajiv Mittal is a deeply moving novel that follows Uma, a hospice nurse who cares for people in their final days. Through her eyes, we see the quiet struggles of patients and their families as they face the reality of death....

Your Tomorrow Was Today by Oyindamola Dosunmu is an emotionally charged novel that navigates the intersections of grief, womanhood, and personal reinvention in contemporary Nigeria. We're with Karen, who is estranged from her family and fiercely independent. She's suddenly forced to confront her past when...