Eavesdrop on the quiet chaos of a Viennese apartment building through Dominik Barta’s provocative novel Overheard, wherein the lives of its tenants converge to reveal tender truths. Kurt, a gay German and English teacher, settles into... Read More

Budding zoologists will delight in this picture book that delivers animal facts while describing what over 150 animals have in common with humans. With sections devoted to topics such as “We all have feelings,” “We all need... Read More

Mechanical mystique abounds in Joanna Davidson Politano’s "The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House", a Christian romance novel set against the bleak, beautiful backdrop of early twentieth-century England. Abandoned by her mother at a... Read More

A woman returns to her roots in Zilla Jones’s entrancing historical novel "The World So Wide", about lost love amid a revolution. In 1983, Felicity—half Black, half white—is a renowned Canadian opera singer. Her success doesn’t... Read More

Natalie Lawrence’s work of cultural inquiry, "Enchanted Creatures", analyzes fabled and mythical beasts across human history, folklore, and literature, asking why monsters persist in human imaginations. Organized into sections on... Read More

L. Annette Binder’s sensitive, grounded, and hopeful memoir "Child of Earth and Starry Heaven" is about the family impact of Alzheimer’s disease. Binder taps into a range of literary and scientific sources to reflect on her mother... Read More

In Kelly Ann Jacobson’s retelling of Pinocchio, "Lies of a Toymaker", a girl embraces heroism and self-discovery. Paige is the daughter of a traveling toymaker who’s always on the move. Her loyalty to her mother keeps her secluded... Read More

Moving to a cottage in the countryside unsettles a boy in Maggie O’Farrell’s fantasy story "The Boy Who Lost His Spark". Jem misses the city. He struggles with school: A learning disability is hinted at, and he’s prone to... Read More