Karima Vargas Bushnell’s The Book of Squidly Light is an eclectic, genre-bending novel exploring spiritual messages with tongue-in-cheek comedy.

The first book, The Life and Times of Halycon Sage, introduced the eponymous Sage, an amnesiac and celebrated author. Here, we find him just where he left off: dwelling in a world recently purged of modern […]

A key component of American “sports entertainment” culture, roller derby has had its ups and downs. It was relegated to niche interest for much of the 1980s and 1990s; its widespread resurgence in the early 2000s was powered by a wave of all-female leagues. It has since regained popularity with players of both genders in […]

This book subscribes to the storytelling tradition of historical analysis and continues chronologically from the author’s first book (The Emergence of One American Nation, 2016). While the previous book outlined what makes one an American (i.e., those that share the uniquely American ideal), this explores who can be an American (relating to ethnicity, religious belief, […]

A girl learns to appreciate nature in its natural habitat in Heather S. Lonczak’s children’s picture book My Friend Gideon.

Six-year-old Rebecca wants a pet like her friend Maria’s bulldog. But, inspired by a nearby zoo, her ideas for a pet are outside the norm: She mentions a kangaroo, monkey, or peacock as possibilities. Her […]

In this engaging and instructive story, a little girl prone to tantrums changes her ways with the help of a new friend and a well-timed case of laryngitis.

Penelope is notorious around her neighborhood for screaming whenever she’s upset—especially when her brother, Miles, teases her. Her screams are so loud that loved ones, strangers, and […]

Gus Becomes a Big Brother aims to help children navigate the complex feelings they might encounter when welcoming a new sibling—adopted or otherwise—into their home.

The book starts when the title character Gus (an anthropomorphic dog) learns that his parents (also dogs) plan to adopt a new puppy. Their excitement is infectious, and Gus is […]

Sunny Weber’s middle grade novel, From Wild to Mild, is the delightful, unique coming-of-age story of an Australian Shepherd named Kaya.

Narrated in Kaya’s clear, reflective voice and illustrated in endearing black-and-white pencil sketches, the novel begins when coyote Maka kidnaps Kaya and brings her to his family’s den to be eaten. Taina, his mate […]

In Briggsy’s Time to Shine, Linda McKinley delivers a quirky story about musical instruments, bullying, and finding pride in yourself.

The book opens on the first day of a kindergarten music class. Each student gets to choose an instrument, which are all anthropomorphic. The instruments introduce themselves, and readers learn about the smooth French horn, […]

In Ryan Cowan’s exciting children’s book, Mr. Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal, a group of witches and sorcerers quickly work to stop a powerful dark sorcerer from taking over two worlds.

Noir, a vicious evil sorcerer, is after a crystal that is crucial to his quest of ruling both the magical and non-magical worlds. Meanwhile, […]

Waking Pontmercy is a historical novel inspired by Victor Hugo’s classic, Les Miserables. Author Patrick Kona takes up the story of lovers Cosette and Marius, following their ups and downs of love, life, work, marriage and parenthood.

Cosette, the adopted daughter of Jean Valjean, knows little of her background, beyond faint memories of her birth […]