In Li Kotomi’s empathetic novel "Solo Dance", a young woman struggles to find her place in a world that is hostile to her sexual identity. Norie’s early years in Taiwan were difficult. Known then as Yingmei, she felt early on that... Read More

In this vibrant story, a Ukrainian girl resists a national culinary staple. Her family wants her to try just one more spoonful, but she’s definitive about her “No!” The popping, bright illustrations invite attentiveness: there’s... Read More

"Daemon Blood" is a thrilling fantasy novel about a supernatural war, power, and sacrifice. Former friends reconnect when a demon war threatens their loved ones in Mary Maddox’s horror novel Daemon Blood. Lu, a telepathic demon seer,... Read More

In Fredrick Soukup’s foreboding novel "Blood Up North", a hard-scrabbling Minnesota family confronts the backlash of criminality. Nineteen-year-old Cass’s brother, Jack, hides stolen drug money on their grandmother Tilly’s... Read More

This comforting metaphorical picture book starts after a tough childhood event and emphasizes its meanings via sparse, affecting illustrations. In it, a lost boy encounters Emptiness, who is spectral and sad; the two decide to assist... Read More

The incisive, intriguing novel "Benefit" contemplates standards of accomplishment and value, as well as the ambiguity of capitalistic philanthropy. A decade before the events of the novel, Laura received a coveted Weatherfield... Read More

Soft, blushing, winsome illustrations trace this story of an unconventional friendship between a dormouse and a cheerful fox—one that is challenged during the dormouse’s hibernation, when the fox befriends a badger, too. Can the... Read More

Capturing anxiety via illustrative spreads that move from claustrophobic blurs to stark, dizzy sketches, this sympathetic picture book walks children through a typical day for a boy who’s afflicted by dread. Even making it outside is a... Read More