The lives of Las Vegas convention goers, perky prostitutes, casino gangsters, a firearms instructor, and a brothel owner converge in Wesley S. Lewis’s deadly, nonstop suspense debut, "West of Sin". New Wave, a Dallas-based real estate... Read More

"Penny Helps Portia Face Her Fears" is a charming chapter book with friendship at its center. Penny is an adorable pit bull who was abandoned by her original family. She’s set free by a neighbor, but living on the streets, she’s... Read More

Middle school crushes, competitive sports games, and teenage shenanigans play out on Jupiter’s ice moon Europa in Myles Christensen’s "Frozen Secrets". Thirteen-year-old Max and his family move to Europa for his father’s job.... Read More

Soviet Jews faced anti-Zionist actions within the USSR; under pressure from human rights campaigns, they were finally offered opportunities for emigration, though leaving was risky. Poignant and suspenseful, Emil Draitser’s "Farewell,... Read More

In Jaime Jo Wright’s haunting Christian thriller "Echoes Among the Stones", grief paralyzes a family. After losing her job and losing her mother to cancer, Aggie moves to Wisconsin to care for her grandmother, Mumsie, who lies and... Read More

Ann Harleman’s "Tell Me, Signora" is about heartbreaking loss, second chances, and resurrecting and righting the past. Kate, an archaeologist who’s still reeling from the death of her husband, is awarded a three-month fellowship in... Read More

The two girls central to Kim Sagwa’s haunting "b, Book, and Me" face bullying, their parents’ indifference, and a sense of helpless displacement. Teachers pretend not to notice what happens to Rang and b, averting their eyes or... Read More

"Disfigured" is a fascinating exploration of how disabilities are treated within fairy tales and of how those treatments help to shape social attitudes and perceptions. Part literary examination, part cultural critique, and part memoir,... Read More