September 15, 2026: Volume XCIV, No. 18

SEPTEMBER 15, 2026 | VOL. XCIV, NO. 18

FEATURING 350 Industry-First Reviews of Fiction, Nonfiction, Children’s, Young Adult, and Audiobooks

NOVELIST MIN JIN LEE IS ON A MISSION American Hagwon deepens her fictional portrait of the Korean diaspora

Contents 75

2 From the Editor’s Desk FICT ION 4

Editor’s Note

5

Reviews & News

16 On the Cover: Min Jin Lee 29 Booklist: Sizzling Short Story Collections 37 On the Podcast: Robinne Lee

One of the most coveted designations in the book industry, the Kirkus Star marks books of exceptional merit.

Reviews

87 Booklist: Stepping Into the Limelight YOUNG ADULT

OUR FRESH PICK

114

Editor’s Note

An actor’s most challenging role: himself.

115

Reviews & News

Read the review on p. 43.

123

Booklist: On the Road

INDIE PURCHASE BOOKS ONLINE AT KIRKUS .COM

128

Editor’s Note

NONFICT ION

129

Reviews

40

Editor’s Note

41

Reviews & News

139 Booklist: Best Indie Books of September AUDIOBOOKS

51 Booklist: Lives of the Artists

150

Editor’s Note

CHILDREN ’ S

151

Reviews

74

Editor’s Note

ON THE COVER: Illustration of Min Jin Lee by Lauren Mortimer, based on a photograph by Jess Shin. Background illustration by Benjamin Demian via Unsplash. Interested in reprints, permissions, licensing, or a framed review? Please contact The YGS Group at 800.290.5460 or email Kirkus@theygsgroup.com. KIRKUS REVIEWS (ISSN 1948-7428) is published semimonthly by Kirkus Media LLC, 1140 Broadway, Suite 802, New York, NY 10001. Subscription prices are: Print and digital subscription (U.S.) 3-month ($49), 12-month ($179) | International subscriptions are $79 quarterly and $229 annually. All other rates on request. Periodicals Postage Paid at Austin, TX 78710 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Kirkus Reviews, 6411 Burleson Road, Austin, TX 78744

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

IT’S BEEN NEARLY a decade since the novel Pachinko mesmerized readers with its sweeping yet intimate portrayal of several generations of a Korean family beset by troubles both personal and political. The epic became a bestseller and a book club favorite, was named a finalist for the National Book Award in 2017, and was adapted into a well-reviewed series on Apple TV+. Fans of the book, eager to explore more of Min Jin Lee’s work, turned to her first novel, Free Food for Millionaires (2007), then waited. Where was the next novel? Well, the wait is over. Cardinal publishes the highly anticipated American Hagwon at the end of the month. In the cover story on p. 16, Lee explains to contributor Hannah Bae why the long gestation period was

crucial to her project. To better understand hagwon, the Korean tutoring centers—sometimes pejoratively called “cram schools”—that are at the center of this saga of Korean American strivers, Lee spent several years visiting these institutions and talking to people about them. “I want to create works of fiction that last,” Lee tells Kirkus. “I really want to build things of quality. And I also want to be accurate and fair to the people that I love.” Early readers agree that American Hagwon was worth waiting for. In a starred review, the Kirkus reviewer writes, “The author’s wisdom is a gift to her readers.” And wisdom doesn’t develop overnight. In this jampacked fall publishing season, there are several long-overdue new

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books from popular authors. Here are just a few: The Brightness by Chad Harbach (Little, Brown, Sept. 29): Back in 2011, a lot of ink was spilled over the debut novel by a 30-something editor at the literary journal n+1. The Art of Fielding followed a promising young outfielder on a baseball scholarship to fictional Westish College; this sequel, 15 years in the making, returns readers to Westish, where the president’s daughter has returned to town engaged to a former Harpooner who is now a coach and assistant athletic director at the college. Our starred review calls it “brilliant, poignant, and absorbing.” The Only Thing There Is To Want: A Memoir of Three Loves by Sarah Hepola (Dial Press, Sept. 29): Hepola found critical acclaim and bestsellerdom with her 2015 debut, Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank To Forget, a memorable account of alcoholism. Eleven years later she’s back with this memoir of her romantic life and the three men—

­a former friend, a younger factory worker, and a detective—who shaped her life and eluded her grasp. Our starred review calls it “a brilliant autopsy of loves lost.” What Could Possibly Go Right?: The Essential Journey To Scale an Enduring Culture by Danny Meyer (Random House, Sept. 29): In 2006, the celebrated restaurateur behind Union Square Café and Shake Shack hit the bestseller list with Setting the Table, which outlined his company’s approach to “enlightened hospitality.” Now, 20 years later, Meyer returns with further lessons from his journey— especially how fear of failure can hamper a business. Our review calls it “worthy reading for budding entrepreneurs”— not to mention anyone who’s eaten at one of Meyer’s restaurants.

TOM BEER K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Illustration by Eric Scot t Ander son

THE WAITING GAME

Co-Founders, Kirkus Media LLC HERBERT SIMON MARC WINKELMAN Publisher, CEO & Partner MEG LABORDE KUEHN mkuehn@kirkus.com

Editor-in-Chief TOM BEER tbeer@kirkus.com

Chief Marketing Officer SARAH KALINA skalina@kirkus.com

President of Kirkus Indie CHAYA SCHECHNER cschechner@kirkus.com

Enterprise Advertising Director MICHELE COBB mcobb@kirkus.com

Fiction Editor LAURIE MUCHNICK lmuchnick@kirkus.com

Indie Advertising & Promotions AMY BAIRD abaird@kirkus.com Author Consultant KEELIN FERDINANDSEN kferdinandsen@kirkus.com Controller & Operations Manager KRISTI DAUGHERTY kdaugherty@kirkus.com Lead Designer KY NOVAK knovak@kirkus.com Magazine Compositor NIKKI RICHARDSON nrichardson@kirkus.com Director of Kirkus Editorial ROBIN O’DELL rodell@kirkus.com

Nonfiction Editor JOHN McMURTRIE jmcmurtrie@kirkus.com Young Readers’ Editor LAURA SIMEON lsimeon@kirkus.com Young Readers’ Editor MAHNAZ DAR mdar@kirkus.com Audiobooks Editor JENNIFER DOWELL jdowell@kirkus.com Editor at Large MEGAN LABRISE mlabrise@kirkus.com Senior Indie Editor DAVID RAPP drapp@kirkus.com Indie Editor ARTHUR SMITH asmith@kirkus.com

Kirkus Editorial Senior Production Editor MARINNA CASTILLEJA mcastilleja@kirkus.com

Senior Editorial Assistant NINA PALATTELLA npalattella@kirkus.com

Kirkus Editorial Production Editor ASHLEY LITTLE alittle@kirkus.com

Senior Indie Editorial Assistant DAN NOLAN dnolan@kirkus.com

Indie Editorial Assistant KATARINA YERGER kyerger@kirkus.com

Mysteries Editor THOMAS LEITCH

Contributing Writers GREGORY McNAMEE MICHAEL SCHAUB

Copy Editors JONATHAN BOWERS NATALIA HOLTZMAN NANCY MANDEL BILL SIEVER

Founder, Kirkus Reviews VIRGINIA KIRKUS (1893-1980)

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Contributors

Colleen Abel, Erin Addis, Mahasin Aleem, Autumn Allen, Paul Allen, Stephanie Anderson, Jenny Arch, Mark Athitakis, Caitlin Augusta, Kit Ballenger, Jeffery Barbour, Carole Bell, Nell Beram, Victoria Biggs, Elizabeth Bird, Christopher A. Biss-Brown, Elissa Bongiorno, Mary Boucouvalas, Susan Breitzer, Kendra Brewer, Anna Broome, Jessica Hoptay Brown, Abby Bussen, Kevin Canfield, Tobias Carroll, Ann Childs, Shanetia Clark, Anastasia M. Collins, Rachael Conrad, Adeisa Cooper, Susan Corapi, Jeannie Coutant, Stephen Cummings, Maya Davis, Sara Davis, Cathy DeCampli, Dave DeChristopher, Steve Donoghue, Anna Drake, Jacob Edwards, Gina Elbert, Lisa Elliott, Rosalind Faires, Joshua Farrington, Brooke Faulkner, Michael Fein, Leslie Fine, Katie Flanagan, Mia Franz, Ayn Reyes Frazee, Jenna Friebel, Jackie Friedland, Laurel Gardner, Lauren Gentry, Karen Bloom Gevirtz, Amy Goldschlager, Danielle Galván Gomez, Diana Granger, Melinda Greenblatt, Michael Griffith, Lisa Grimaldi, Sara Grimm, Vicky Gudelot, Tobi Haberstroh, Geoff Hamilton, Sarah Harkness, Lynne Heffley, Ralph Heibutzki, Bridey Heing, Caroline Henderson, Sandi Henschel, Boze Herrington, Loren Hinton, Emma Hodgson, Ashley Holland, Natalia Holtzman, Terry Hong, Christoph Irmscher, Darlene Ivy, Jessica Jernigan, Sylvia Jones, Stephanie Katz, Colleen King, Maggie Knapp, Andrea Kreidler, Laurel Larrew, Christopher Lassen, Nicholas Latimer, Maureen Liebenson, Elsbeth Lindner, Coeur de Lion, Barbara London, Patricia Lothrop, Katie Lowe, Wendy Lukehart, Dylan Mabe, Michael Magras, Thomas Maluck, Jodi Martin, J. Alejandro Mazariegos, Nancy McCarty, Jeanne McDermott, Katherine McDonald, Tate McFadden, Zoe McLaughlin, Don McLeese, Cari Meister, Kathie Meizner, Carol Memmott, Ana Menchaca, Alan Minskoff, Jennifer Miskec, Rebecca Moore, John Murray, Liza Nelson, Therese Purcell Nielsen, Tori Ann Ogawa, Milo Ono, Mike Oppenheim, Kobe Overby, Nick Owchar, Emilia Packard, Rebeca Parrott, Hal Patnott, Bethanne Patrick, John Edward Peters, Jim Piechota, Christofer Pierson, Vicki Pietrus, William E. Pike, Shira Pilarski, Bonnie Powell, Margaret Quamme, Ellen Quint, Kristy Raffensberger, Isabella Ranallo, Kristen Bonardi Rapp, Matt Rauscher, Darryn Reams, Nancy Thalia Reynolds, Peter Richardson, Alexandria Richey, Amy Robinson, Gia Ruiz, Lloyd Sachs, Bob Sanchez, Julia Sangha, Michael Sangiacomo, Caitlin Savage, Christine Scheper, Meredith Schorr, Jerome Shea, Sadaf Siddique, Linda Simon, Wendy Smith, Margot E. Spangenberg, Andria Spencer, Allison Staley, Mathangi Subramanian, Deborah Taylor, Lisa Taylor, Jessica Teel, Ella Teevan, Eva Thaler-Sroussi, Desiree Thomas, Renee Ting, Caitlin Tobin, Lenora Todaro, Francesca Vultaggio, David Walton, Caroline Ward, Katie Weeks, Audrey Weinbrecht, Abigail Welling, Susie Wilde, Jessica Willis, Laura H. Wimberley, Kendra Winchester, Kerry Winfrey, Marion Winik, Flannery Wise, Kirsten Wright, Denise Zajkowski, Audrey Zheng

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LAURIE MUCHNICK

I LOVE READING books about families. Don’t worry, I’m not going to pull out that Tolstoy quote— I’m not even sure it’s true—but every family has years of group dynamics that make for great reading. One of my most frequent recommendations is The Makioka Sisters, a 1948 novel by Junichiro Tanizaki about a wealthy family trying to find a husband for the youngest daughter in the years before World War II. Just trust me on this one—everyone who’s ever taken my advice and picked it up has loved it. Some of my favorite books so far this year have been about family relationships— Ann Patchett’s Whistler and Min Jin Lee’s American Hagwon, among others— and there are even more I’m looking forward to reading. The Book of Chuck by LaToya Watkins (Tiny Reparations, Aug. 18): The Gardner family of Texas has an inherited ability to see death coming—­ and it’s no gift. Watkins follows generations of Gardners from 1936, when baby Nannie foresees her father’s lynching, through 2024. Our starred review calls this “a transcendent 4

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reading experience that reveals life’s darkest corners while transmitting a surprising amount of hope.” Body Language by Meg Howrey (Doubleday, Sept. 1): Howrey’s last novel, They’re Going To Love You (2022), explored a choreographer’s relationship with her dying father and his partner after she’d been estranged from both men for almost two decades. Her new novel finds three sisters dealing with their mother’s cognitive decline and her desire to plan her own end of life. Of course, Sloane, Laurel, and Nanette have their own families, careers, dramas, and existential crises to deal with. Our review says, “Howrey is a reliably beautiful stylist, and her slyly funny prose and blade-sharp insights into human behavior

should put her in the same conversation as writers like Ann Patchett and Barbara Kingsolver.” Children of the Wolf by Abby Geni (Ballantine, Sept. 15): Liv Thorvaldsson’s family is unlike any you’ve ever met: Her father, Ulf, was born in Sweden, and he raised Liv and her brother, Finn, in rural Iowa, speaking Swedish, learning the warlike values of Norse mythology, and raising bees. He also turns out to have been a serial killer. Now an adult, Liv has rebuilt her life, but then a murder takes place nearby, and she’s forced to reexamine her father’s legacy. Our starred review says, “Geni’s ambivalent novel takes pop culture’s fascination with hit men and serial killers to a disturbing new level.” Female Life on Planet Earth by Laleh Khadivi

(Ecco/HarperCollins, Sept. 22): Heti is an Iranian American woman living in LA, busy with her job, husband, and daughters. Her mother recently died, and her aunt is urging her to start preparing the traditional party she needs to throw on the anniversary of her death. Then she gets a mysterious package containing three photos of her mother, including one in which she’s holding a machine gun on a group of women in Western clothing. As she prepares for the party, her mother seems increasingly unknowable. Our starred review calls the book “a beautiful, poetic work on the elemental bond between mothers and daughters, or the earth and her moon.” Laurie Muchnick is the fiction editor. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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ALL IN THE FAMILY

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EDITOR’S PICK the school for suspected fratricide.” Ike-Njoku makes the neogothic genre her own, perfectly adapting its tropes to a turbulent setting: the social suffocation and constriction, the supernatural, the high-definition suspense. The writing is starkly beautiful, impressionistic, and dreamlike. Everywhere Celia goes, her past accompanies her. At 18, she finds work teaching typing, then earns a spot at a secretarial agency. But there’s no security or belonging. A co-worker taunts, “You look good on paper. But you didn’t fool anyone.” She accuses Celia of coming from a family whose wealth prevented her from going to prison. As bad as or worse than the condemnation is the

Inspired by Jane Eyre and Rebecca, this impressive debut transports the neogothic novel to 1960s Nigeria. It’s hard to trust narrator Celia da Silva’s version of events, as befits her literary lineage. For her, deception is an act of self-preservation. Suspected in the 1967 drowning of her younger brother, Ruben, she’s repeatedly questioned by her mother: “Did you push him in? Was it a mistake?” So Celia is banished from the famed Water House, her family’s expansive island home, and sent to the St. Agnes School for the Training and Education of Delinquent Girls on the mainland. Her troubles come with her: “On my official record, I was sent to

These Titles Earned the Kirkus Star

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Avalon, Rise By Madeline ffitch

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The French Illusion By John Grisham

5

The Water House Ike-Njoku, Nneoma | Summit | 256 pp. $28 | October 13, 2026 | 9781668080931

psychological suffering. Celia isn’t safe within her own memories or her mind. But at Madam Dudu’s secretarial agency, she receives an offer that seems like a lifeline—to become a wife for hire to an ambitious single politician. When his campaigning exposes Celia’s past, the

The Water House By Nneoma Ike-Njoku

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Asmodeus By Rita Indiana; trans. by Achy Obejas

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Big Little Truths By Liane Moriarty A Wall Is Also a Road By Annalee Newitz

wreckage sends Celia back to a hostile mother and the secrets of Water House. As civil war brews, Celia begins to suspect Ruben’s death was more sinister than she’d imagined. Supernatural and humanmade threats stalk a troubled girl in this stellar neogothic tale.

If Not You By Ellen O’Clover Prairie Oyster By Sophie Robinson

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Psychedelic and gory, this is for bibliophiles who enjoy the fantastical. L I T T L E R E D D E AT H

Adam and Eve Archer, Jeffrey | HarperCollins (464 pp.) $30 | October 6, 2026 | 9780008640385

The Great War ends and life begins for a couple destined to play a crucial role in Britain’s future fight with Nazi Germany. The U.K.’s involvement in World War II has inspired countless works of historical fiction, and yet Archer, in what is said to be his final novel, refreshes the genre with an enthralling tale perfect for fans of history, romance, and suspense. Inspired by a true story, Archer reimagines the lives of Lady Evelina Brancaster, daughter of an earl, and Adam Preston, son of a shepherd employed on the Brancaster estate, both born on Armistice Day in 1918. Eve and Adam grow up near each other but under far different circumstances. Eve treats him as her lesser until he’s invited to attend school with her in the manor house. Adam turns out to be the better student, hoping to rise above his station, while Eve is more interested in helping with the estate’s animals and working the land. Despite their differences, they are drawn to each other. Archer enlivens his tale with a fascinating portrait of cultural and societal upheaval as fear of another war with Germany hangs over Britain and women and the lower classes demand more opportunities and choices. Through his astute descriptions, we become immersed in these dramatic changes as Adam and Eve and their contemporaries embrace the emerging modern Britain. When war becomes a reality, this bucolic novel fires up with thriller-esque plot threads involving spies, false identities, 6

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and family betrayals. As Hitler conspires to invade Britain, Adam and Eve will play significant roles in squelching his plan to overthrow the monarchy and place the Duke of Windsor, a Nazi sympathizer, back on the throne.

Archer seduces readers with a garden of indomitable characters.

Little Red Death Benedict, Alexandra | Poisoned Pen (320 pp.) $19.99 paper | September 8, 2026 9781464251818

Stephen King’s Misery meets the Brothers Grimm in this gruesome fantasy thriller metanarrative. Katie Hexen, who writes grisly murder mysteries, wakes up trapped in an attic. Her kidnapper, the Wolf, composes poems warning that he’ll murder her unless she writes him twisted versions of fairy tales to guide his serial killing. Like Scheherazade, Katie must save her own life by composing stories— including one about a contemporary Cinderella. The Wolf, along with the reader, follows the Cinderella slasher story, but only he goes on to enact it. When the body of a beautiful young woman stabbed to death with the stiletto of a golden shoe is found in the middle of a fairy circle in New Forest, England, DI Lyla Rondell lands the case. She’s haunted by the memory of her childhood best friend who disappeared one night, leaving behind a poisoned apple minus one bite. Lyla makes the intuitive connection between the cases, which multiply as Katie is forced to write more thrillers, complete with editorial footnotes, for the

Wolf. He brings her story about Hansel and Gretel to life by leaving dead twins covered in gingerbread crumbs in a circle of magic mushrooms. When Lyla questions New Forest resident Mellicent Farling, a local witchy crone and amateur mycologist, she suggests that their reality might not be all that it seems. Writing stories has its own magic more powerful than Katie or Lyla can grasp. Reality collapses as drifting pages send Lyla to rescue Katie while the question of who’s behind it all spirals off into multiple planes of existence. The author deploys a serviceable, informal style, reminiscent of Tumblr. Psychedelic, gory, and full of cultural references, this is for bibliophiles with a taste for the fantastical.

Another Name for Red Blaeser-Wardzala, Amber | Pantheon (320 pp.) $30 | October 13, 2026 | 9780593702369

A young Anishinaabe woman’s life is upended when her older sister disappears from tribal lands in Minnesota. It’s been a year since Oldest Daughter disappeared, proving what everyone knows—law enforcement doesn’t care about murdered Native women. This realization has had a devastating effect on the woman’s family: Her grieving father has become a shut-in, her mother has become obsessively focused on activism in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement, and the two youngest children are starved for attention. Middle Daughter, 22, the book’s narrator, has become the sole breadwinner and caretaker for her younger siblings. As she pushes herself to function, Middle Daughter is hollowed out by guilt and fear. She’s haunted by the memories of her last conversation with Oldest Sister, who confessed she was secretly engaged to a white man, prompting Middle Daughter to tell Oldest Sister she never wanted to see her again. In the fallout, Middle Daughter becomes estranged from her K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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boyfriend and best friend. As the story opens, she falls under the gaze of a grizzled “white man in red cowboy boots” in the hardware store where she stocks shelves. Calling himself John Smith, he dubs her Pocahontas and begins to stalk her. Despite her repulsion, she finds his attention compelling, an expression of her guilt. Instead of drugs or a razor, she punishes herself with the thing she reviles most: a white man living on her people’s land. The backgrounding of the novel’s mystery—Middle Daughter’s search for clues to her sister’s disappearance—­ weakens the book. Although the portrait of Middle Daughter cherishing her culture is tenderly wrought, the mystery’s resurgence at the very end creates an imbalance between a limp thriller and a heartbreaking family drama. A flawed mystery nevertheless delivers an engrossing portrait of contemporary Indigenous life.

Don’t Stop Snowing Bump, Gabriel | Algonquin (352 pp.) | $29 November 10, 2026 | 9781643758060

A young man despairs of his evolution into his ne’er-do-­ well father. David, the narrator of Bump’s third novel, introduces himself as a moderately successful family man publishing novels and running a bookstore in North Carolina. The backstory that follows shows how hard-earned his middle-class status has been. His mother is an accomplished Civil War scholar who leaves a tenure-­track job at Northwestern to be humanities dean at a college in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; his father is an Ivy League–educated modernist specializing in James Joyce whose career has stalled because of his own insecurities and self-sabotaging behavior (drinking, slovenliness). After his parents’ inevitable divorce, David demonstrates a similar lassitude; he finishes a master’s degree, his girlfriend breaks up with him, and he has a bit of a breakdown. His mother, K IR KU S R E V IE W S

thinking a change of scenery might help, dispatches him to Buffalo, New York, to stay with a cousin, Flip. The months spent there, which make up the bulk of the novel, both exacerbate and alleviate the problem: He follows Flip to bars and parties, consuming ill-advised quantities of alcohol and drugs. But through Flip’s employer, a bookstore, David finds a stabilizing influence. Indeed, Bump suggests that books can offer a refuge and sense of order that messy humans usually fail to provide. (Plenty of novels are cited as evidence, particularly by Black authors: Ishmael Reed, Leon Forrest, Gayl Jones, Toni Morrison, and more.) Typical for Bump, there are some entertainingly absurdist scenes, particularly involving both David’s and his father’s job interviews, and David’s biracial identity (his mother is Black, his father white) is just one example of the dualities Bump explores throughout the book: working-class and ivory tower, sober and using, snow and sunshine. Not every scene lands, but it’s a compassionate portrait of a man slogging through “academic emotional molasses” to something like true feeling. A quirky but affecting story of reshaping oneself outside of one’s parents’ mold.

The Spirits Campbell, Bonnie Jo | Norton (240 pp.) $27.99 | October 13, 2026 | 9781324130901

An expert at gritty rural stories takes a cue from Charles Dickens. In her seventh book of fiction, Campbell returns to rural Michigan to spin a contemporary version of A Christmas Carol, concentrating almost entirely on one Christmas Eve dinner where family secrets spill out. This wrenching, crisply written story begins mildly, with a small-town church Christmas pageant complete with sheep, a donkey, a goat, and a llama. Mary, an ambitious college student, has convinced her boyfriend, Doug Whitby, to set aside

his reservations and take her to meet his family. By the second chapter, however, the point of view shifts to that of Doug’s troubled oldest sibling, whom the Whitby family calls Sister. She’s been avoiding her kin since a messy confrontation a year earlier and now, as she enters the house, Sister, 23, begins to see her father’s ghost. This abusive patriarch, and the mysteries surrounding his death nine years earlier, are at the heart of what is revealed over a long, alcohol-fueled evening of confessions. Along with the Christmas ham and green bean casserole, Campbell serves up plentiful helpings of gore and violence: more than one shooting, a couple of disfiguring accidents, two lightning strikes, a poisoning, and a stabbing. The man at the malevolent center seems to have cowed these characters into seeing him “as ancient and powerful as the creator of the world.” But Sister, whose mother gave birth to her at 15, gradually edges toward the possibility of reconciliation with her three younger siblings. Campbell is less ambitious here than in some of her earlier books. She sets the lurid human drama within the context of a more peaceful and interconnected natural world. Nature has the potential to gentle the emotions of the Whitbys, as “like a grove of trees,” they begin “communicating below the surface.” A tentatively hopeful twist on this unusual holiday fare.

You Let Me In Clarke, Lucy | Atlantic Crime (416 pp.) | $18 paper | October 13, 2026 | 9780802168016

Start with a modern nightmare: What if you rented your house on Airbnb and came back to feel like you were no longer alone in your safest spaces? Bestselling English author Elle Fielding lives a dream life, at least on Facebook, where she posts enviable close-ups of her beautiful writing room overlooking the ocean along with updates on the progress of her second novel. But the truth is much murkier: SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Not only does Elle live alone in her cliffside Cornwall mansion, estranged from her husband, but she’s also alienated her neighbors. Returning from a writing retreat in France, during which time she’d rented her house to a young family through Airbnb, Elle feels like there’s something off. To exacerbate her stress, she’s barely typed a word of the book. If she fails to meet her upcoming deadline, she’ll face financial and professional ruin. This would be enough to send anyone into a swirl of anxiety, so when she begins experiencing odd slips of memory and feelings of paranoia, she has to wonder if it’s all in her head—but little incidents suggest that there’s been someone else in her house: a broken paperweight in a locked room, a handprint pressed into a mirror. Her biggest online fan, Booklover101, knows a little too much about her life; her neighbor’s surly son holds a grudge; her husband still can’t forgive her for a lie of omission; her sister’s husband looks at her a little too intently. And then there are Elle’s real secrets, the ones she keeps locked in a chest in the beautiful writing room, as well as painful memories from her time at college. All these swirl together to create the perfect storm, which might destroy Elle’s life—or finally set her free. Clarke skillfully weaves three timelines and perspectives together, but the main achievement is Elle herself, who’s flawed and fragile and yet refuses to crumble. Clarke offers a sharp rebuke to the cliche of the paranoid woman—and gives us a survivor to root for.

The Love Operation Collings, Melissa R. | Mindy’s Book Studio (416 pp.) | $28.99 | October 6, 2026 9781662540868

An ambitious doctor vying for a promotion finds herself juggling love interests and fudging professional ethics. Cordelia Wren is an accomplished surgeon in the running to be the next chief of surgery at 8

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What’s it like when a hit man goes to his 50th reunion? QUARRY’S REUNION

Lockewood University Medical Center, where she’s up against two men. She’s also helping a colleague and her closest friend with a new experimental treatment called Neuro­Cognis, which attempts to “combine targeted brain stimulation with a novel drug cocktail to fast-track memory encoding and recall.” Eager to help her friend, Cord receives the treatment only to find it allows her to travel back in her own memory, reliving her past with vivid detail. As she’s beginning NeuroCognis, she’s also flirting with Isaac Thompson, the hospital’s chief operating officer. Their romance could jeopardize both careers. Cord’s predicament is complicated by the appearance of Benedict Calder, her first love. She decides to deploy her new “memory superpower” to revisit and analyze her romantic past. Clocking in at more than 400 pages, this book has a thin premise and quirky writing style that grates rather than excites. Cord, who is described as a brilliant surgeon, is frustratingly twee, always ready with a quip and an ethical lapse. She tries to have it both ways while keeping the NeuroCognis treatment secret. It often feels that humor is standing in for actual character development; Cord’s zippy way of cracking jokes undermines moments of significance or feeling. Meanwhile, Isaac has promised he won’t let his simmering relationship with Cord influence his vote for the chief of surgery position, queuing up the inevitable and predictable ending from the very beginning.

Lacking in depth and leaning too hard on quirk, this story fails to pick up steam.

For more by Max Allan Collins, visit Kirkus online.

Quarry’s Reunion Collins, Max Allan | Hard Case Crime (224 pp.) $19.99 paper | November 10, 2026 9781835416464

What’s it like when a hit man goes to his 50th high school reunion? Not what you expected. For one thing, Quarry is only incidentally back in Fair View, Ohio, to get together with classmates from the high school he attended back when he was called Jack Jamison. His real errand is to find out who’s trying to kill Jenny Means, the beautiful middle-aged daughter of his high school flame, Mary Ann Kemper, whose wealthy future father-in-law, Regal Means, offered Jack $5,000 to be “discreet” about their relationship, sending the indignant Jack first into the Marines and then into a life of crime. Now that Jenny and her half brother, painter Alex Means, are about to split the harvest of a late-blooming trust fund, Mary Ann is afraid that someone else has an eye on that money. Maybe it’s Donna Means, Alex’s Latine wife, who’s never been accepted by Regal’s widow, Virginia, a former showgirl turned matriarch. Maybe it’s Rick Hazen, a classmate of Jack and Mary Ann’s who threatened Jenny with blackmail over some unspeakable secret. Maybe it’s Don Kiser, the bartender at Rick’s tavern, who was two years behind him in school. Along the way to the solution, Quarry beds a couple of classmates who are still improbably seductive and kills one of the suspects himself. Beneath the usual sex-and-violence trappings and Quarry’s swaggering first-person narrative, though, the biggest surprise is that this is actually a whodunit, and not a bad one at that. An appended “Happy K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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50th, Quarry” memoir places this installment in yet another context.

Quarry’s bowed out so many times already that it would be foolish to bet on this as his swan song. Wait till next year.

Peregrine Hill de Gramont, Nina | Simon & Schuster (320 pp.) $28 | November 10, 2026 | 9781668214732

Heartbreak, intrigue, and fiction writing in the gilded halls of New York and Newport, Rhode Island. As de Gramont’s follow-up to The Christie Affair (2022) opens, young Mariah Bishop, her mother, Isabelle, and her grandmother are reeling from terrible news. A ship called the Morrigan has sunk in the Atlantic, with Mariah’s father, sister, and two brothers aboard, leaving the women not only bereft but in desperate economic straits. A solution to their problems seems to appear when Isabelle chats up and seemingly captivates a man named John Whitten at a party. Whitten, 63, is neither handsome nor charming, but he is very, very rich, and at this point that will have to be good enough. But when he sends his dogsbody, Robert Smythe, to the Bishops’ cheap rental in Hoboken, New Jersey, the man clarifies what Whitten has in mind: He wants to marry Mariah, an 18-year-old beauty. Whitten has already buried two wives without gaining an heir, and though Isabelle is still within her childbearing years, Mariah seems the surer bet. Isabelle has no option but to agree. Whitten is well aware of her financial situation and also knows her secret: Mariah has recently given up for adoption the illegitimate child of a handsome painter named Jay Hopkins, who was happy to comfort the girl in her grief but showed no interest in marriage. When Whitten’s proposal is revealed to Mariah, however, the girl is first disbelieving, then dead set against it, but ultimately, miserably, resigned to her fate. Her only comforts will be a friendship with her lady’s maid, Hetty, K IR KU S R E V IE W S

and her writing: Mariah pours her broken heart into short stories, which she ritually burns upon completion. Then Hetty, whose father is also a writer and who has connections at Harper’s Monthly, manages to read one before it is incinerated. The plot is as baroque as the appointments of Whitten’s mansion, the titular Peregrine Hill, with multiple secret romances and alliances, a poisonous potion, a kidnapping, and a pipe-smoking fortuneteller whom Mariah learns to heed too late. A delicious historical melodrama.

and lines like “Doctor Charles Franklin Craig injected a lot of kitten rectums with different amoebas,” pushing these sections toward satire, which counter­ balances some of Emmer’s inner crises, as do some forays into the scatological. This is a weird and very heady read, but Elkins has a good sense of when to puncture his characters’ self-seriousness. Readers of ambitious experimental fiction will find plenty to savor here.

Kirkus Star

Stories, Like Illnesses

Avalon, Rise

Elkins, James | Unnamed Press (500 pp.) $39 | October 6, 2026 | 9781961884915

ffitch, Madeline | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (368 pp.) | $29 | September 22, 2026 9780374617769

A formally innovative look at a scientist’s inner crisis. Elkins returns to the life of Samuel Emmer, a self-described “expert in amoebas” working in Guelph, Ontario. This is Elkins’ third book about Emmer, and it focuses more on the scientist’s inner life than on his travels. The novel begins with the biologist’s memories of his childhood in Watkins Glen, New York, looking at the sky and pondering the vastness of the cosmos. Emmer recalls his childish self: “Little Sam didn’t think years counted upward one after the other. Instead they had names, like Year of the Pond or Year of the Mulberry.” The novel’s structure eventually grows to include multiple columns of text working in parallel and even diagrams of mazes, making the reading experience more arduous than it was for the first two volumes. This time, Emmer’s vast array of knowledge seems more of a burden than anything else. There’s also an element of academic satire here; the arrival of a potential intern, Viperine—of whose gender Emmer is never entirely sure—leads to a long section in which various scientists present their findings on different types of amoebas. The lectures include both an allusion to the planet Drakulon, home of the comic-book character Vampirella,

The residents of Avalon, Ohio, have their fragile accord disrupted by the arrival of a white nationalist. Growing up, Woody and Leroi were best friends. Woody, who’s white, is a budding artist obsessed with printmaking and dealing drugs. His mother is an old-school activist and local librarian. Leroi, who’s Black, is the son of a social worker and newly involved with his local chapter of Food Not Bombs. Five years ago, on what Leroi thinks of as “The Day Everything Changed,” Woody started taking the drugs instead of selling them. Now in their early 20s, Woody and Leroi remain tenuously connected—Leroi has big ambitions and his volunteer work, and Woody is almost always strung out. Then Woody is hired by a single mother, Stasia, who’s just moved to Avalon and wants to advertise her “European Heritage Rug Braiding” classes and her botanicals for “white ancestral health.” Stasia’s arrival exposes the fractures long present in the community, and ffitch cycles through myriad perspectives to show these cracks. There’s Emma, Woody’s sister, who’s raising two sons amid momfluencer culture; Dev, a lesbian from a white Catholic family who lived through cross burnings on her lawn as a young girl; Matt, a World War II veteran; SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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and Woody and Leroi’s mothers, who each struggle to understand their children’s choices. The book is not interested in easy characterizations, though it never asks readers to sympathize with those espousing hate. Instead, ffitch explores why people who wish to do good are so flawed on both a personal and a collective level. How can a community move forward, she seems to ask, if it can’t agree on how to stand up to fascism in its own backyard? A blistering, multifaceted novel about collective action, being in community, and fighting for what’s right.

The Farther Shore Fleisher, Seth | Green City Books (320 pp.) $19.95 paper | October 20, 2026 9781963101249

A compelling novel inspired by the pioneering naturalist Eugène Marais and his son, Charles, who was abandoned in the name of science. The story begins in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1895, when Eugène’s wife, Lettie, dies after giving birth to Charles, their only son. Incapable of caring for the infant, Eugène leaves Charles in the care of a sister and flees to a remote forest in Africa to pursue his unconventional research into memory and addiction. Soon, the British arrive to battle the Boers, and thousands of children, including Charles, are ushered into relocation camps and forced to endure squalid conditions. Despite the ordeal, Charles is sent to London to be educated, and years later he accepts a position as a professor of Buddhist history at Harvard. When Charles arrives in Boston in 1935, racism and antisemitism are ascendant, and an alarming number of students and faculty, including Harvard President James Bryant Conant, refuse to denounce Hitler. Charles soon learns that the university plans to use his father’s research to validate its shameful views on race, and he journeys back to Africa to find Eugène, despite not having 10

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spoken to him since he was a child. Written in alternating chapters focusing on the father and the son, and jumping back and forth in time until the two sides of their story finally converge, this novel is brimming with colorful historical detail. While the life of the real Eugène Marais was documented in a biography that has long been out of print, little is actually known about the real-life Charles. Here, Fleisher is a bit earnest in describing what happens to his Charles, but his rendering of Eugène’s story—particularly when he is conducting research on baboons and termites—is fascinating. This is an absorbing work of historical fiction and an impressive and welcome debut.

Double Tap Flynn, Vince & Don Bentley | Emily Bestler/ Atria (352 pp.) | $30 | September 22, 2026 9781668045916

The late Flynn’s fabled killer fights a deadly terrorist plot in this high-­ action thriller. In the wake of the American withdrawal from Iraq in the 1990s, Saddam Hussein’s helicopters gas Kurdish forces. Several years later, Mitch Rapp, an assassin in the CIA’s secret Orion program, is in the Middle East to hunt down and kill a Pakistani weapons scientist. But his leads go up in smoke, and the CIA puts him on to a more pressing issue: Saddam Hussein plans to move his chemical weapons out of Iraq and into Syria. Terrorists would use them to deliver a “blow against America from which it will never recover.” Rapp will have to put a stop to that. Although he works alone, his complexion and fluency in Arabic help

him blend in with the locals. He gets himself into tight, violent situations where he typically leaves a body behind. But he does have one firm rule passed on to him by CIA veteran Stan Hurley: “No innocents, no law enforcement, and no women and children.” The rest are fair game. He isn’t a superhero, but he’s extraordinarily talented and lucky. He was inspired to fight terrorists when his college girlfriend, Mary, died on Pan Am Flight 103, the plane that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. A second great love has also died, and the 20-something Rapp now lives in a “zero-sum world” with his unquenchable hatred of terrorist groups like Hezbollah. Explosions and gore come with the territory. Israel is on the case as well, and Israeli intelligence creates an attack plan code-named Double Tap, which is intended to stop the expected convoy of chemical-laden trucks. Ultimately a specific, deadly threat raises the stakes to an even more frightening level. Author Bentley remains true to the original vision of an American assassin who only kills the bad guys and comes within an inch of his life doing the job.

A satisfying hit for excitement junkies.

Tradeoffs Galef, David | Cornerstone Press (216 pp.) $24.95 paper | October 20, 2026 9781968148577

Thirty playful, witty, mostly very short stories. The pieces in Galef’s latest collection often cover a whole life span in a brief compass by way of a clever premise. In the title story, the core principle is “Life’s a set of tradeoffs till you’ve nothing left to

Thirty playful, witty, mostly very short stories. TRADEOFFS

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trade.” Jasmine begins her life of barter as a little girl by exchanging a white-swirled stone for two scallop shells. As she grows, the exchanges get steadily bigger and more fraught—Magic 8 Ball, backgammon set, first job, first spouse—and just three quick pages later we arrive at Jasmine’s last swap, “her bed for a decorated urn.” It’s testament to Galef’s skill that the story’s jauntiness and brevity make this ending feel moving and bittersweet rather than bathetic. Occasionally, these idea-driven microfictions can seem like mere riffs or one-offs, but often the thought experiments yield surprisingly poignant results. Galef is very good at depicting self-dooming obsessives: the man who ruins his marriage by devoting himself to the discipline of levitation; the one who does the same by compulsively berating motorists who speed through the crosswalk in front of his house; the one whose best, most engaged self he saves for chaste but ecstatic massages. “Duplicity” is a Nabokov-ian house of mirrors, an ingenious account of a 1948 love triangle film that’s embedded in the story of a similar triangle involving the principal actors. The book’s most luminous story may be its last, “Receding Portrait,” an account of the vulnerability and relentless loss—and underneath those, the flint and dignity—of old age. A companionable collection largely about solitary souls.

The Finalist Gladwin, Faith | Grand Central Publishing (400 pp.) | $19.99 paper | October 6, 2026 9781538780756

A young ballerina joins six of her peers at a remote mountain manor to compete for the role of company soloist. Eden knows how to endure physical pain. For nearly all her life, she has battled the agony of arthritis along with the extreme expectations of the competitive world of ballet. So when she’s named one of seven K IR KU S R E V IE W S

A proper gothic haunting with a strong dose of body horror. THE FINALIST

finalists to be the Deveraux Ballet Company’s new soloist, she knows that while the other dancers will see her struggle as a liability, it’s actually her greatest strength. Eden is driven not only by her desire to jump-start her career, but also by her admiration for—and attraction to—Leanora Karagianni, who’s choreographing the troupe’s new ballet. A former winner of the Deveraux mountain retreat, Leanora was the face of the company until she broke her leg in a grisly onstage accident. Almost as soon as she arrives, Eden senses that there’s something off about the manor, from the sealed-up door to the basement to the frozen greenhouse, a “shrine to dead things,” to the secret studio in the attic, the one where someone wallpapered over the mirrors. And soon her fellow dancers are disappearing, losing time, dancing their shoes to pieces overnight like something out of a dark fairy tale, while Eden grows closer to Leanora, joining her for private lessons late into the night. The house seems to feed on the dancers’ exhaustion, their pain, and so does Leanora, as her injured leg grows stronger. Outside, the snow falls and falls, trapping them within the beating heart of the manor. Gladwin crafts a spine-tingling tale with precision and effective pacing. A hedge maze in the snow has to summon up the specter of The Shining, and there are clearly other classic, well-known influences at work, but inviting in the ballet world adds an effective twist to the familiar. A proper gothic haunting with a strong dose of body horror and a real final girl.

For more by John Grisham, visit Kirkus online.

Kirkus Star

The French Illusion Grisham, John | Doubleday (352 pp.) | $35 September 29, 2026 | 9780385550543

What hasn’t legendary legal eagle Grisham tried yet? How about a thriller about serial kidnapping and international terrorism. When Paul and Chelsea Tanner disappear during a day trip on their Paris honeymoon, their abductors demand a ransom of $2 million from Chelsea’s wealthy parents, and a few days later the same sum from Paul’s much less well-heeled parents. After orthopedist Lowell Clayburn, Chelsea’s father, ponies up the ransom without breathing a word to the authorities, his daughter is promptly released. But even though Paul’s parents sell their home, liquidate their assets, and borrow money from the Clayburns to meet the kidnappers’ demands, the villains hold on to Paul anyway. Asked whether he’s ever seen such an outcome in a double kidnapping, FBI deputy director Andrew Strong tells Lowell: “No, this is a new one.” But it’s not, as Strong knows all too well; it’s the third such active case, all involving honeymooning couples whose bridegrooms had served in the armed forces. After masterfully drawing readers in with his bare-knuckle account of the Tanners’ abduction and the attempt by their families and the CIA to tell the lies required to keep caring friends and the rapacious press at bay, Grisham effortlessly switches gears to follow CIA agent Rae Claire Russo and Stuart Nash, a former Department of Justice prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay who agrees to marry her so they can serve as bait for the SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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kidnappers, whose motives include justice and revenge as well as cold hard cash. So much for the imprisoned Paul’s wistful reflection that “hopefully, it was only about money.”

The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.

Nola and Baldwin Hill, Donna | Amistad/HarperCollins (384 pp.) $18.99 paper | November 10, 2026 9780063443389

Determination and love sustain a couple through the casual and institutional racism they endure in mid-­20thcentury America. Hill follows the fortunes of Nola Faye Denny and Baldwin Allen Carter, Mississippi natives both, during their childhoods and formative experiences in early adulthood in the 1930s and ’40s. After her father is lynched near her family’s home—recounted in a heart-stopping passage that launches the novel—Nola cares for her emotionally broken mother in the small town of Rudell. Janie Crawford, the main character of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, provides her with a role model for self-determination, an awareness of life beyond Mississippi, and a rare spot of hope in her life. Upon her mother’s death, Nola leaves town and begins a journey she hopes will end in New York and opportunities for self-advancement. Early in her travels, she encounters 19-year-old Baldwin, a Pullman porter escaping his own difficult past. The two begin a passionate

relationship and eventually marry while facing the personal indignities and systemic roadblocks placed in the way of Black Americans. (White passengers dismissively referred to all Black Pullman porters as “George,” and efforts at unionization were often met with deadly opposition.) Nola and Baldwin follow the northward path of many Southern Blacks and travel to Chicago in order to enjoy life in a safer, more hospitable environment, but Hill makes it clear that Nola’s youthful dreams of settling in New York, inspired by Hurston’s seminal work, have not been abandoned as she sensitively portrays the growth each character undergoes in their lifelong quest for dignity. Nola and Baldwin’s story unfolds against the tumultuous backdrop of an America in transition and the cinematic narrative is peppered with references to historical figures and events preceding the Civil Rights Movement. A wrenching story of love and endurance.

Kirkus Star

Asmodeus Indiana, Rita | Trans. by Achy Obejas Graywolf (224 pp.) | $18 paper September 1, 2026 | 9781644454107

A feverish, genre-­defying journey through the underworld of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, fueled by demons, heavy metal, and political ghosts. “Rudy was a suit Asmodeus could put on, he could see through his eyes, he could grip with his hands, walk

A feverish, genre-defying journey through the underworld of Santo Domingo. ASMODEUS

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with his feet”: In Indiana’s startling and inventive tale of demonic possession, Asmodeus is an ancient spirit whose powers are fading. After decades inhabiting Rudy—a Dominican heavy metal star whose body has been ravaged by a career full of drugs, sex, and rock ‘n’ roll—the demon desperately seeks a replacement before it’s too late. An acclaimed Dominican novelist, singer-songwriter, and producer, Indiana chronicles a frantic week in which Asmodeus ricochets among potential candidates on his “pentagram-shaped rollercoaster ride” through Santo Domingo’s underworld in the 1990s. The novel opens with familiar supernatural props and entities—demons, witches, possession, spells—but Indiana quickly transforms the plot into something far richer. Asmodeus’ search for another host turns into a tour of a vivid cast of damaged souls, including Mireya, the witch who first paired him with Rudy; Guinea, a handsome young man whom Asmodeus covets “for the exciting brusqueness of a young body in which to kick around the present”; Sayuri, the object of Guinea’s affection; Claudio, a wealthy and sadistic young man dabbling in the black arts; and Rocío, a blindingly bright archangel who annoys Asmodeus to no end. Through these and other characters, Indiana paints a striking portrait of Dominican society and the lingering scars caused by years of dictatorship. Characters like Arsenio, Mireya’s dying father and a former torturer under the Balaguer regime, connect the supernatural with the country’s history of repression and violence. Indiana is a fearless and lyrical writer, weaving these strands with reflections on the fragile nature of art as Rudy returns to his youthful poetic ambitions and writes a play. Asmodeus influences the composition of Rudy’s décimas, rendered beautifully in Obejas’ translation, and the lines between inspiration and possession blur. What Indiana writes of Rudy’s listening to Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”—that it “had the energy of the dead, a vengeful and medieval zest K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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that made your guts vibrate”—aptly describes this gritty and evocative tale, too. A tale of demonic possession becomes a dazzling exploration of art, desire, and the lingering wounds of Dominican history.

The Body of the Thing Jobanputra, Karishma | And Other Stories (250 pp.) | $19.95 paper | September 15, 2026 9781916751514

Though they have beauty and intelligence, the women in Jobanputra’s 12 confident stories suffer thanks to their lovers, families, or misguided sense of themselves. The stories, set in contemporary New York and London, do not intersect, but the protagonists—all unnamed and many of Indian heritage—are variations of the same woman: sensitive, highly educated, self-consciously progressive, psychologically damaged sensualists who consider themselves outsiders due to class as well as ethnicity. Jobanputra depends on minute sensual details— often in excess—to expose the intense inner and outer lives of these troubled women. The weaker first half of the book focuses on younger women, many of whom feel victimized. The first story, in which a “shaky 24-year-old” has an affair with “The Therapist,” sets the tone somewhere between aggrievement and boastful complicity. In “My Darling and Her Deities,” the protagonist’s female lover’s adventures in polyamory involve their male professor. Lush descriptions of body image issues and sexual experiences are surpassed only by the eroticism of “A Love Story,” which includes descriptions of the foods a British woman with bulimia shares with her New York lover during the months before her visa runs out. After the title story—a prose poem about feeling caged within one’s body—the emphasis shifts from physical to emotional preoccupations. The narrator of “Norma Jeane K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Baker of Troy,” grieving her miscarriage, fantasizes the perfect love a baby would have offered, while the protagonist of “Mum?” is overwhelmed by the reality of caring for a real baby. “Your Dying Breath” closes the book with a daughter grieving her mother’s death. In Joban­ putra’s most provocative and ambiguous story, “Miss Marie,” the divorced artist narrator instigates an affair with her daughter’s teacher in what may or may not be what the headmaster calls “abuse of your power.” Writing about young women flailing through love, Jobanputra shows that her own obsessive love is for language and imagery.

Realms of Islands Kneubuhl, Victoria Nalani | Univ. of Hawai‘i (296 pp.) | $24.99 paper | October 31, 2026 9798880702800

An ambitious multigenerational story weaves together England, Tahiti, Sāmoa, and the United States through folkloric magical realism. Stretching from the 1820s to the 1970s, this novel tells a sweeping story anchored by the matriarchs of two interconnected families in Oceania. The prologue, titled “Three Dreams of Grandmother,” introduces motifs that recur throughout: trees, song, water, the kingfisher bird. These images are the family inheritance and take on meaning only as the story unfolds. The novel begins in England in 1824 with the newly orphaned Hannah deciding to take the leap of becoming a missionary’s wife. She and William Greenwood marry and voyage to Tahiti. Meanwhile, Felesina ventures into the Samoan underworld for a sacred tree that will ensure the posterity of her family. She does so to cover a family debt: Her daughter is pregnant and marrying a white man. Felesina needs the tree to turn into heirlooms. As she makes her way to the forest, Felesina is ominously reminded that the obligation

“is threefold,” cementing the seriousness of the debt. Family dynamics are complex—many of the characters share names that have been inherited, creating a sense that the past is repeating. Magic is present but subtle: evident in a character’s seeming agelessness, ability to transcend language, or ability to predict the future. Dreams and aitu—the Samoan term for ghosts—are the primary connectors among the generations. The novel ultimately reads too much like a genealogy, dry and heavy on exposition, despite the magical elements.

An unfortunately didactic story leaves little space for wonder.

Mystery Play Kostova, Elizabeth | Ballantine (592 pp.) $33 | October 13, 2026 | 9781524799649

After the death of his historian mother, Jay Turner finds himself holding dangerous artifacts that seem connected to Dracula. In this fifth novel from the author of The Historian (2005), a young man returns home to Boston after his mother dies. Told in an inventive epistolary style—via letters, journal entries, postcards, and old texts—the reader discovers Jay Turner has inherited a strange and potentially dangerous medieval manuscript along with a charred piece of newspaper bearing the name “Gael Brogan.” Jay leaves his post as a history instructor at a Massachusetts boarding school to spend time alone at his family home in Maine. He quickly discovers that Gael was an enigmatic actor in the 19th century, best known for his portrayal of Dracula in a stage adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel. Stranger still is Gael’s connection to the medieval book—one of a set commissioned by Vlad Țepeş (otherwise known as Dracula) himself—that once belonged to Jay’s mother and, until recently, was kept under lock and key in a museum. With the help of a mysterious woman SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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named Rhiannon, Jay begins to dig deeper into Gael’s past and, as the two discover more about him, they can’t shake the feeling that there’s something much more sinister and, potentially, supernatural afoot. Fans of the author’s previous work will be thrilled to see her circling back to Dracula and the vampire mythos, as well as resurrecting some returning characters. She seamlessly blends history with the supernatural, creating a dense and atmospheric read that goes quickly despite the novel’s nearly 600 pages. What unfolds is an atmospheric mystery built around the Gilded Age of American theater. An atmospheric if melodramatic mystery that blends dark academia and Dracula-inspired history.

The Seventh Ribbon Krieger, Gus | Grand Central Publishing (336 pp.) $29 | October 27, 2026 | 9781538780824

A young widow discovers she can bring her late husband back from the dead— but the universe keeps setting new stumbling blocks in her path. Caroline and Forest Ora have been together five years, married two, and they are desperately in love. They have a wonderful home on Cape Cod that they inherited from a relative, and they enjoy the idyllic town year-round. Forest has a steady job, and Caroline works as a poet. When Forest is killed by a hit-and-run driver, Caroline is devastated. She quickly begins spiraling, engaging in destructive substance abuse and hooking up with dangerous men. Just as it seems Forest’s death may end up killing Caroline too, she discovers typewriter ribbons in her attic that call to her. After pecking out a prosaic story about Christmas, she wakes up the next morning to find everything she wrote has come true. She decides to take advantage of this magic ribbon to bring Forest back to life. Unfortunately, in the new reality she’s constructed, Forest just ends up 14

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getting killed all over again. So Caroline tries again, altering the story she writes, but not enough to prevent herself from losing him yet again. She only has six typewriter ribbons, and she has to figure out how to create a permanent fix before she runs out of opportunities. Told in the first person, this mind-bending tale follows Caroline as she struggles to create a version of reality where she can be happy. Her complex journey is interrupted by periodic flashbacks to her courtship with Forest and the early days of their marriage. These scenes move slowly, attempting to show Caroline and Forest falling for each other, but they don’t have enough chemistry to justify interrupting the more exciting present-­ day sections. The novel is ambitious in its attempts to show time folding into itself over and over again, and is successful in many ways. However, it also leaves several unanswered questions, both about minor plot points and the workings of this fictional universe. Even so, the author admirably portrays a couple in love and the power of the written word to literally transform our worlds. An inventive love story full of magical realism and grit.

Winter Song Morales, Rebeca Lee | Ecco/HarperCollins (256 pp.) | $28 | December 1, 2026 9780063464032

Having served nearly four years in prison for a hit-and-run homicide he didn’t commit, Byron Lugo ruffles more feathers in the Minnesota town of Monte with his determination to prove his innocence. Byron was 22 when a jury convicted him of running over a small child. During his time in prison, his fiancée, Earlene Cupp, married the bullying Hughie Peterson. It’s not a happy marriage, especially after Peterson responds to Byron’s renewed presence with threats, knowing Earlene is still in

love with him. Lonely widowed police chief Gordon Trent presses Byron to move forward, disapproving of his sorrowful but unapologetic visit to the home of the dead child’s mother. Byron’s parole officer, Romo, also urges him to move on: “Don’t, for pity’s sake, please don’t, become one of those people who let the past eclipse the joy of living.” Life in Monte (short for Montevideo) goes on: Byron and his friends prepare for the annual demolition derby and he has promising visits with Earlene, but he presses on with his investigation. Slowly but surely, Trent, who has his own regretful past, opens up to the possibility that Byron is speaking the truth—that the case against him was flimsy and possibly ill-motivated. All the pieces are in place in this artfully slow-burning tale about free will and fate for a stirring outcome, including sympathetically rendered characters. But backloaded with background narratives, Morales’ debut novel loses momentum and fails to rise above predictability and swatches of sentimentality. And the bigotry faced by Byron, whose North Dakotan mother is half Ojibwe, is shortchanged. A deftly drawn though wrinkle-free portrait of a Midwestern town.

Kirkus Star

Big Little Truths Moriarty, Liane | Crown (464 pp.) | $34 August 25, 2026 | 9780593798638

Ten years later, the friends from Big Little Lies (2014) have new headaches, traumas, and secrets. Moriarty has reclaimed her girl group after their HBO-funded joyride in Monterey, California, with a sequel that returns them to Australia’s (apparently just as beachy and bougie, though fictional) Pirriwee Peninsula. She writes this in a brief author’s note that also suggests the new book can be read independently of either the first or the series, which is not wrong, but K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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it certainly helps to come in with a clear mental directory of this large cast and their complicated relationships— and if you remember which actor played whom so much the better. As the novel opens, a bizarre incident occurs in the principal’s office at the local high school: A severed finger arrives in the mail. The day this occurs becomes known as D-Day, and vignettes from it are placed at intervals through the book, as are snippets of dialogue from the transcripts of “safe space” counseling sessions held in its aftermath for the students, now 15 and 16 and causing their parents lots of typical teen trouble. Also in play: Madeline’s 50th birthday party, complicated by the fact that she’s found a lump in her breast and her husband, Ed, has been behaving strangely. Her bestie, Celeste, is still dealing with the fallout from her evil husband Perry’s death in the first book, including an awkward relationship with his mother, Mary-­L ouise, and her twins’ having learned unpleasant truths about their late father. All the kids are crazy about their brilliant new history teacher, Melody Montclair, who’s assigned them a project concerning misunderstood historical figures that will bring Winston Churchill into the mix. Melody is also charming the mothers, whom she’s gotten to know by joining their Beach Boot Camp. There’s no shortage of plot, but Moriarty’s real gift is for witty dialogue and relatable characters. Once you get them straight, you’ll follow them anywhere...and there are indeed seeds for another sequel. Don’t wait for the TV series—­ Moriarty’s sparkling writing is worth the read.

This Impossible Life Okparanta, Chinelo | Mariner Books (432 pp.) $32 | November 10, 2026 | 9780358650171

A pair of separated Nigerian siblings struggle for freedom and a new life. Alohan and Ivie are a brother and sister raised in Lagos, and as Okparanta’s sweeping third novel opens, orphans. In 1993, when they were 11 and 4, their parents were killed; their father, a rainmaker, had failed to fulfill his promise to repel a downpour at a wedding. The siblings are taken in by an uncle who quickly deposits them with a man named S.O.G. (aka Samuel Oga God), who puts Alohan to work as a groundskeeper in a wealthy Lagos community. This is tolerable enough until Alohan reaches his teens and S.O.G.’s wife, Madam S.O.G., attempts to seduce him; when Ivie tries to intervene, Madam S.O.G. poisons her, leading to the siblings’ separation and Alohan’s belief that Ivie’s been killed. In braided sections, Okparanta skillfully follows the two from calamity to calamity—Alohan toils as a beggar, thief, and teacher at a pedagogically dubious Nigerian school, while Ivie is taken in by an abusive family that she escapes to attend college in New York City. As both of their fates go sideways, they find themselves in Italy, part of the migration of thousands from Africa to Europe, and prone to the degradations and dangers of human trafficking. The story is sober but at times melodramatic, and Okparanta writes gracefully about a host of themes, including

A pair of separated Nigerian siblings struggle for freedom and a new life. THIS IMPOSSIBLE LIFE

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siblinghood, folk tradition, racial politics, and the asylum system. And of course displacement—the death of a rainmaker signals a theme of the near impossibility of changing one’s environment. But though Okparanta is concerned with “the ways that life conspired to overturn something as simple as hope,” she also delivers a pair of powerful studies in tenacity. An impressive, melancholy tale that builds an epic around two ordinary characters.

Dear Thorns Olsson, Karen | Astra House (288 pp.) $27 | November 3, 2026 | 9781662603518

Lora, a conservationist, has spent seven years tracking the declining ocelot population in south Texas, but the men around her—­ her boss, an attractive intern, and a wealthy artist and rancher—aren’t making it easy. With fewer than 90 ocelots remaining in the U.S., these beautiful wild cats might disappear from the country within the next 40 years. So it’s the job of “proudly independent” Lora, midway through her 40s and based at the Tangled Lake wildlife refuge, to study them and try to increase their numbers. Like the ocelots, Lora is social but solitary, content with her life at the remote refuge alongside her two interns. But soon the interns dwindle to just one—namely new arrival Ben, tall, attractive, young, and not especially communicative. In quieter moments, when not attending to their work—giving a presentation to staff at a nearby detention center; visiting a wealthy local eccentric who has ocelots on his ranch; and checking their traps for cats to collar and release—Lora and Ben begin a brief, awkward, inappropriate affair. Olsson’s confident, quietly engaging novel dwells on Lora’s interiority as she attends to her job while considering her choices and situation. The Texas background is SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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ON THE COVER

MIN JIN LEE With American Hagwon, the acclaimed novelist deepens her portrayal of the Korean diasporic experience. BY HANNAH BAE

THE KOREAN WORD “hagwon” is about to become a household term across the United States. If anyone could pull off that unlikely feat, it’s bestselling author Min Jin Lee. For her highly anticipated third novel, American Hagwon, out at the end of the month from Cardinal, the author sets her sights on these private, for-profit tutoring centers—or “cram schools,” as the media often describe them—that are endemic to Korean communities. While many Koreans, both at home and in the diaspora, have a knee-jerk negative reaction to the word (pronounced “hog-one”), Lee, who was born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States at age 7, seeks to delve much deeper into what these institutions say about her people. “There’s this idea that hagwons are places where hyper-driven rich people go to get their kids into a hyper-selective school,” she says in an interview at the Manhattan offices of her publisher, Hachette. “But when I went to all these hagwons, that was not my experience. I did see such places, but they were a tiny minority and almost a caricature of what the average experience was.” As a result, American Hagwon is full of surprising revelations, as Lee pushes against common stereotypes about the Korean obsession with education, achievement, and wealth. She roots her multigenerational epic in the Koh family: father John, mother Helen, and their children Bo, DH, and Mido, each of them finely drawn, indelible characters. The novel captures how a 16

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I want to create works of fiction that last. I really want to build things of quality.

Hae Ran of Channel Yes

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family and its immigrant social circle fight to preserve their dignity while enduring two economic catastrophes (the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the Great Recession a decade later). Educating children remains a constant, driving priority, seen as the surest path to upward mobility and economic security. Yet only a few characters end up with name-brand degrees, and their jobs span white-collar work as well as retail, service, and fast-food gigs. It’s a very different picture of Asian American life than the one that most U.S. readers associate with this community. Lee, in fact, considers it her mission to commit the lives of working-class Koreans to paper. Doing so requires drawing upon her personal experience growing up in Queens, then expanding her scope through extensive, hands-on research—“my fake anthropologist/ sociologist behavior,” as she jokingly puts it. Longtime fans of her work know that while researching her 2007 debut, Free Food for Millionaires, she went so far as to sit in on classes at Harvard Business School to better understand the mindset of the Wall Street traders for whom her young protagonist works. While she herself did not attend a Korean-run hagwon (“I did go to Princeton Review, that counts as a hagwon”) and did not send her son to one, Lee, who lives in Harlem with her husband and son, made multiple research trips to Orange County, California, where she sets a chunk of the novel, and conducted scores of additional interviews with students, parents, educators, even economists and policymakers, in the U.S. and abroad. “From all these interviews,” Lee says, “I found there was no agreement about money or religion or beauty being the most important things in life. What kept on coming up over and over was education—what they would do for their children, what were their regrets.” The importance of education stems from the Confucianism deep within the culture and the civil service examination system that persists in South Korea today. “There’s this idea that you could somehow ‘merit’ yourself into a person of significance,” Lee says. Yet hagwons, as for-profit educational institutions, present an enormous economic burden for families in K IR KU S R E V IE W S

present-day South Korea, she learned. “A hagwon is where you learn to educate yourself by choice,” she notes. “It isn’t a traditional school in which the state tells you what you should learn.” Cardinal, Lee’s imprint at Hachette, is gearing up to make American Hagwon a major publishing event of the fall. It’s unsurprising, given the runaway success of her last novel, Pachinko (2017), a National Book Award finalist with more than 2 million copies in print across all formats, according to the publisher. Word of mouth was critical to Pachinko’s momentum, Lee says, noting that the novel didn’t hit The New York Times bestseller list until it was in paperback, then remained there for more than 40 weeks. Cardinal is releasing a deluxe limited-­ edition hardcover of Pachinko, which was the basis for an acclaimed Apple TV+ series in 2022, as well as special paperback editions of both Pachinko and Free Food. With roughly 10 years between the publication of each novel, the new editions reinforce the idea that a Min Jin Lee book is worth the wait. “I want to create works of fiction that last,” Lee says of her writing timeline. “I really want to build things of quality. And I also want to be accurate and fair to the people that I love.” When she speaks about her characters, it’s clear that she has a remarkable capacity to feel for them. In 2017, at the Brooklyn launch of Pachinko, she sobbed openly while reading a passage that captured Koreans’ second-class status as colonized subjects of Japan. “I lost it,” she recalls with amusement. “My publicist was like, ‘What the eff is wrong with her?’ I cannot be a cool cucumber.” As the years pass, though, Lee is coming to embrace her earnest outpourings of emotion. “There’s a lot of typing and crying,” she says. “There is a part of me that feels so upset about all the Koreans I’ve met who just don’t get the recognition they deserve for their struggle. And I really admire struggle.” That much is clear to any of Lee’s readers, who have much to look forward to in the coming decades. She’s already at work on a fourth novel, which she’s calling Marshall Plan. It’ll be the last installment of an undertaking that she’s described as her Diaspora Quartet.

American Hagwon Lee, Min Jin

Cardinal | 656 pp. | $36 Sept. 29, 2026 | 9781538752036

Marshall Plan will examine the unsung lives of Koreans who migrated to Europe in the 1960s and ’70s to work in fields ranging from mining to nursing and the arts. In the post–Korean War era, Lee explains, these overseas workers were an essential source of currency flowing back to their home country during decades of rebuilding. “They were so important in terms of immigration patterns,” she says. “These are groups that people don’t talk about, but their contributions to Korea and to the rest of the community can’t be minimized.” Telling these stories in the realm of American fiction, Lee knows she is assuming a great deal of responsibility. She does so with humility. “I can’t believe that I’m 57, and that I got to write these three novels, and then I’m going to write one more,” she says. “I can’t believe that’s a real thing.” After Marshall Plan, one more book remains in Lee’s current pipeline—a work of nonfiction. Originally planned as a collection of the author’s many public speeches and essays, she’s decided instead to write a memoir. Her very fitting working title? Name Recognition. Korean American writer Hannah Bae is a journalist, illustrator, and winner of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award. SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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lovingly evoked: “They passed an old concrete stock tank and a clump of mesquite trees, leaves ruffling, a yucca in bloom. The sky above was white. In the distance ashy clouds massed like airborne mountains.” And Lora’s commitment is given both professional and emotional heft, in contrast with that of her less principled boss. Themes of sexism, politics, and environmentalism underpin a narrative low on events yet sinewy in its consideration of a woman, her work and values, and the determining forces of our world. As Lora’s ocelot research program comes under threat, what are her remaining choices? Olsson leaves the question open.

why. Apart from winning their confidence again, she has to protect herself from former boss Bruce Weyrich, CIA analytics chief Marissa Hockney, and Halina Roman, a young analytics assistant suddenly gone rogue—all on the way to seeing justice done for the Hayali people once and for all, or at least until the next spin of the wheel. Lily, who “had always been on the outside” of both Hayalistan and the Company, will remind fans of Warshawski on a global mission, and Paretsky handles the novel affordances of tradecraft with all the aplomb her protagonist lacks.

A deft, persuasive depiction of an appealing mind in midlife.

Most impressive not as an isolated achievement but as a demonstration of Paretsky’s unfailing range and ambition.

Bad Company

It Ends Here

Paretsky, Sara | Minotaur (416 pp.) | $30 November 10, 2026 | 9781250412195

Perks, Heidi | Poisoned Pen (416 pp.) | $18.99 paper | October 6, 2026 | 9781464270208

The title company isn’t PI V.I. Warshawski’s usual Chicago riffraff but the CIA, in a stand-alone thriller about an ex-agent who finds herself back on the hot seat. Of all the places Lily Sedako worked during her 20 years as a field agent, the one she felt the most connection to was Hayalistan, a (fictional) country in the mountains of Central Asia. Driven from her post by the coup that toppled Rani, the Snow Leopard chief she’d helped install as the nation’s leader, she’s watched from afar as his successor, Agajan, has given free license to Gambrey Minerals and Mining to strip the land of its precious lithium. Now an anonymously sent copy of The New Yorker shows her a photograph she didn’t know existed, one that broadly hints she violated the tribal rituals of local women—and perhaps that her betrayal led to regime change as well. Determined to clear her name, Lily returns to Hayalistan, where she questions variously hostile former friends to see who might have sent that magazine and

While the police work to rescue a group of hostages, the hostages’ family members obsess over their troubled lives. Following an opening scene from the perspective of an unidentified hostage-taker, Southampton DI Aaron Field learns of a single 7:30 a.m. gunshot fired on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. Five people are trapped in a marina cafe called The Boatyard, and each of their personal crises is dramatized from the viewpoint of a relative. So recent transplant Rosa Williams, the wife of rising literary star Daniel, fears his preoccupation with his career could spell trouble for their marriage. Liv Hamilton is worried that her husband, Jacob, has been having an affair; and elderly Ede Hogan remains overprotective of granddaughter Jennie after the girl’s mother died from drugs. Short time-stamped passages ratchet the suspense with updates and backstories, and the police rescue operation moves as deliberately as the stories of the hostages. Author Perks

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waits to reveal the identity of the perp until midstory, with a surprising twist. Her straightforward, present-tense prose moves the story nicely. But in the end, the project lands like an anthology of women’s fiction rather than a thriller; the backstories of the individual hostages and their captor overshadow the suspense. After the climax, the lengthy epilogue delivers an efficient conclusion. A clever hybrid that has the feel of a middling cable-TV movie.

A Glacier’s Guide to Dying Porter, Michelle | Algonquin (272 pp.) | $29 November 3, 2026 | 9781523538003

A young Métis man from Alberta winds up trekking a glacier in Montana, fleeing wildfires and hunting his father. In this energetic sophomore novel, Robbie escapes his complicated family through hard work and heavy metal, at least until his older sisters, Alicia and Rose, convince him that he’s the only one who can find out what has happened to their schizophrenic father, Mike, in the wind for over a year. The search puts Robbie on a bus to Montana with his beautiful, unstable mother, who failed many times to protect Robbie from his stepfather Ray’s ugly abuse. Robbie is a talented fiddler who takes great joy in community dances and performances, but Ray taunts him as “a fairy.” What starts as a saga of family frustration—with some amusing and realistic text chats among the kids—takes a turn when Robbie meets his white, privileged Uncle Doug. After a shocking confession, the two men wind up in Glacier National Park, where wildfires rage and everyone in town is forced to evacuate. This scene, as the men try to drive away, is terrifying, with people and livestock frantic and thirsty. As Robbie and Doug follow a pregnant bison onto a glacier the terror increases, especially after the bison, enduring labor pains, excretes urine and K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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feces all over their supplies. In a bit of weird magical realism, the bison’s calf leads the pair to a crucial discovery. On the slopes of the glacier, Robbie seems to hear the voice of the glacier itself—­ raising the question of his own lucidity. Robbie understands that things fall apart, even as he begins to grasp that his version of a spirit quest is enlarging his soul. By the end, his future and the glacier’s fate are open—an entirely appropriate finale. An urgent look at how neglect of family, human and wild, drives us further and further from home.

The Heights Rankin, Ian | Cardinal (256 pp.) | $29 November 3, 2026 | 9781538776100

A posh and pretentious London high-rise apartment becomes the scene of two murders that hint at many other crimes. Across from Hyde Park, Allan Franklyn resides atop the Heights, the exclusive apartment complex he developed, now under the unwelcome scrutiny of DS Gillian Gish. He tells her that his night-shift concierge, Dwayne Hogarth, was so well-liked that no one would’ve coshed him from behind, leading to his fatal fall. It’s true that a pair of troublemakers had attacked Dwayne and his brother, a DJ who called himself Black Markus, as they were leaving a Heights party after some complained about the music. But there’s no evidence Eddie Gallacher, the powerful gangster, had anything against Dwayne. In fact, some Heights dwellers may have liked Dwayne all too much. Eddie’s wife had urged Franklyn to hire Dwayne and then lay off the other night concierge. Pop singer Zafk, né Zachary Wilson, had asked Dwayne to score some drugs for him. Whatever ties Dwayne may have had to art dealer Joe Spalding, Russian fixer Lev Godunov, or Zimbabwean national Maita Macheso remain to be discovered, but they must K IR KU S R E V IE W S

The beauty of the prose is a balm in this debut novel’s bleakest moments. PR AIRIE OYSTER

have been close enough to provide Dwayne with inside info he’d sold to a freelance journalist. Just as Gish and her partner are ready to admit that they’re not making any progress on this murder, a second corpse turns up, and this one leads in altogether more productive directions. With his tightly controlled and professional storytelling, no reader needs to be sold on the merits of Ian Rankin, creator of DI John Rebus. The biggest mystery here is whether newcomer Gish will get a series of her own. Welcome to the Heights, aka the Depths.

Kirkus Star

Prairie Oyster Robinson, Sophie | Univ. of Iowa (208 pp.) | $19 paper | October 6, 2026 | 9781685971151

A British auteur fixated on Veronica Lake strives for sobriety in the midst of an on-again, off-again queer relationship. Pearl is at a crossroads. Once featured in an article called “Ones to Watch: Five Filmmakers Under Thirty,” she’s now 32 and “nobody is watching her.” Instead, she’s bingeing on coke and alcohol and missing the classes she’s supposed to be teaching as a Film and Media fellow in “a middling city in the middle of the country.” A reunion with longtime crush Mitch Meyer, an older, nonbinary director who’s experiencing a bit of a career renaissance, offers Pearl a lifeline; maybe now she can get sober and get serious about making The Lakes, a film exploring her obsession with the 1940s

screen siren who died in obscurity after a lifelong struggle with alcoholism. But as Pearl enters recovery and travels to the U.S. to do research, a fledgling romance with the commitment-averse Mitch starts to become a point of obsession. Interspersed with Pearl’s misadventures are dreamlike excerpts of Lake being interviewed on The Clifford King Show after 20 years away from the public eye, a fictionalization of a real 1971 television interview with Dick Cavett two years before her death. Poet Robinson has a keen eye for detail and an ear for rhythm. (“As she talks and Mitch listens the river runs alongside them, and the riverbed listens with ears made from time…The skeletons sunk deep into the mud of the riverbed listen also, the shopping trollies listen, the coins and cups and rudi­ mentary tools all prick up their ears to listen.”) The beauty of her prose is a much-­appreciated balm in this debut novel’s bleakest moments of addiction and withdrawal. An unflinching depiction of a life in crisis that nevertheless glints with hope.

Ransom Silva, Daniel | Harper/HarperCollins (416 pp.) $36 | July 14, 2026 | 9780063384224

A perfunctory installment in an iconic series. Alice Winter, British socialite and Instagram influencer, disappears. Her real estate mogul husband coerces Gabriel Allon, world-famous spy and all-around fixer, to find her. While the stakes grow as events ensue, this is a SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Twin brothers are driven apart by choices involving women. THE SHARED LIFE OF EGAN AND LUCIAN

silly assignment for a one-time Mossad assassin. It’s hard not to conclude that Silva is just producing this summer’s Gabriel Allon novel as he’s been doing for more than two decades. The hero of The Kill Artist (2000), an Israeli spy and an art restorer, was singularly fascinating. Gabriel has, of course, evolved since his debut. But in this novel, he’s thoroughly unmoored from his roots. He has become a facsimile of himself, a collection of physical features and familiar tics. And while the scenario that follows the disappearance of a socialite ultimately spins out until it leads to world-historical consequences, it’s hard to understand why Gabriel lets himself get sucked into the role of private investigator employed by a billionaire. Silva has never invested many words in character development but, in past novels, he provided enough to help readers understand a character’s motivation. Here, he’s expecting his readers to remember the backstory of recurring characters, which may be a safe assumption. But he’s also asking readers to fill in the blanks with new characters. That said, Silva does provide his audience with a few cues. Gabriel makes his contempt for women who are “always posting all those silly photos” on social media obvious. Apparently, a man whose whole life has been built on subterfuge and who has worked with female spies has issues with how women present themselves on Instagram. Is it time for Gabriel Allon to actually retire?

For more by Daniel Silva, visit Kirkus online.

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The Shared Life of Egan and Lucian Smith, Rose | Hawthorne Books (320 pp.) $28 | November 3, 2026 | 9798993660202

On an island off the coast of Maine, twin brothers are driven apart by choices involving women. Egan and Lucian McCauley are truly identical on the surface, but the deep differences in their personalities are clear from childhood. Egan is a naturally gifted ballplayer and has an easygoing way about him. Lucian is tense and fearful and drawn to making art, like the boys’ mother, a successful painter whose obsessive work habits keep her at a remove. Their woodworker father fills in the gaps and their childhood is nearly idyllic until the day they have an accident while taking the dory out without permission. Lucian’s injuries are serious and Egan blames himself. At first they cleave even more tightly together to cover the rift; a decade later, Lucian follows Egan to the college where he has a baseball scholarship rather than attend art school in New York. But he’s miserable there, and then there’s difficult news: Josey, a Maine neighbor he grew up with and who has become an occasional sex partner, is pregnant. Angry about the pregnancy and assuming she’ll have an abortion, Lucian takes off for South America, where he’s gotten a grant to study art. In his absence, his daughter is born, and Egan, always kind and caring, gradually becomes a major figure in her life. Meanwhile, Lucian’s coldness ruins a second romantic relationship, and Egan ends up taking over there as well. All of this happens in the shadow of the book’s first scene, from which we know one of the twins has died. As the narrative works its way slowly back to that climactic moment,

both Lucian and his mother become increasingly unsympathetic characters, and a big left-field plot twist causes another tragedy. Nevertheless, Smith’s debut has much to recommend it, particularly the beautifully evoked settings, not just the island but also Buenos Aires and, briefly, New York, as well as the detailed descriptions of artistic process: “Lucian chose two shades of blue, along with yellow and white, to make an electric green. He mixed the paints together, pushing and shoving them around on the palette, until the color emerged, like a new blade of grass.” Bad blood between brothers drives a dramatic plot grounded by a strong sense of place. A promising debut.

The Living Realm Tannahill, Jordan | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (160 pp.) | $25 | September 8, 2026 9780374621728

Ghostly visi­ tations in a German wood. The narrator of this short novel is an Englishman who’s lived in Berlin for decades, a gay man drawn to the city’s Grunewald forest and the shores of the Teufelssee lake, where, as he explains, “generations of men have wandered the great hypostyle hall of conifers in search of sex.” Sometimes he goes alone, sometimes with his friends Birgit, a fellow archaeologist, and Gabor, an exiled Hungarian, both queer. When not cruising, they people-watch: a “venerable trio of bronzed, leather-skinned Italian queens”; a dreadlocked older rebel in a tutu and Doc Martens; even a wild boar with piglets in tow that the friends dub Elsa. Then the narrator encounters a startling figure: the doppelgänger of his late lover, Lukas, whom he’d met in those very woods 30 years earlier and who died of AIDS in the ’90s. For “several seconds,” he says, “I was overcome by this powerful irruption from the past.” The man turns and retreats into the trees without a word. Later, the narrator runs K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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into “one of the forest’s regulars,” Thomas, with whom he has a seemingly ordinary exchange. Yet afterward he learns that Thomas had died of a stroke in his sleep days earlier. The author, a Canadian novelist and playwright (Prince Faggot), has crafted an enigmatic meditation on the passage of time and the excavation of the past (the memories of the narrator’s landlady in bombed-out postwar Berlin figure in it) that also contains one of the oddest—and kinkiest—sex scenes in recent gay fiction. Was the Grunewald, the narrator ponders, one of those “places where we return over and over to be with time, to better perceive its flux, and situate ourselves within its mysteries”? Elegant, haunting, and strange.

The Rally Vass, Carla | Union Square & Co. (304 pp.) $29 | September 29, 2026 | 9781454967309

An ousted startup founder attempts to heal her wounds via a jet set party marathon in Europe. We meet Charlotte “Charlie” Walker at the end of an era— ­her co-leadership of a dating app she developed called Flutter is being wrested away by a platoon of lawyers with a pile of papers. She’s given two weeks to decide whether to sign the noncompete agreement and take the payout, or just leave with nothing, except the right to ever work again in her own industry. Vass’ debut leverages her background in tech and finance to depict this aspect of her plot with veracity, giving Charlie genius-level skills in math. (When her love interest makes a mistake in poker she comforts him with the fact that he only had a 5% chance of pulling a higher straight, omitting the detail that it was exactly 3.82%.) Charlie’s career demise coincides with her friend Lina’s annual invitation to join her at a road rally: two weeks of driving classic cars through Slovenia, Italy, and Croatia, ending in the south of France. “Apparently, this one has no prize, no point—just driving, K IR KU S R E V IE W S

partying, and dressing up in outlandish outfits while meandering through Europe like a very glamorous cult.” This is an extremely accurate description of what ensues, though it omits a few key elements: an obscene quantity of high-end alcohol and cocaine engendering a terrifying amount of driving under the influence, and a level of sexual tension that could be a medical condition in itself. Vass gives Charlie a Mr. Darcy named James, a brutally handsome and brusque investment wizard who clearly is just as attracted to Charlie as she is to him. For some reason, these two approach their flirtation like a couple of 11-year-olds who aren’t sure what that amazing tingle they felt when they accidentally brushed up against each other is supposed to lead to. Pages and pages of buildup almost turn into comic relief by the time actual relief is achieved. Meanwhile, most of the other characters range from vapid to nasty, the women surprisingly so, considering the novel’s preoccupation with misogyny. If partying with the beautiful people is this much fun, we’ll take Netflix and pizza.

Eisen Yakhina, Guzel | Trans. by Polly Gannon Europa Editions (576 pp.) | $30 September 29, 2026 | 9798889662105

The fictionalized life of a great Soviet-­ era filmmaker. Yakhina, a screenwriter and student of film as well as a novelist, explores the improbable fortunes of Sergei Eisenstein, who lived

and breathed film at a time when “cinema in Russia was just getting underway.” She opens dramatically, with Eisenstein suffering the first of several heart attacks that would kill him at the age of 50. That he lived even that long is a mystery, given the fate of so many of his peers and colleagues—the great writer Isaac Babel among them—under Stalin’s reign of terror. Indeed, Eisenstein, known by the nickname that gives Yakhina’s story its title, defies Stalin to go to Hollywood, hired to make an adaptation of Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy. In his absence, Stalin ominously tells the American writer and fellow traveler Upton Sinclair (whom Yakhina portrays as a rather wormy character) that “Eisenstein has lost the trust of his comrades in the Soviet Union.” But rather than order his execution or send him to the gulag on his return to Russia, Stalin gives Eisenstein free rein, shielded by his international celebrity. In Yakhina’s hands, Eisenstein is a complex and not entirely agreeable character, with a relationship to his mother tinged with hints of incest and an opportunistic streak that allows him to betray comrades without a second thought and abandon his lover as she lies dying of cancer. Still, he emerges as a brilliant, driven artist bedeviled by history: As Yakhina writes, for all the majesty of his film Alexander Nevsky, the German-­ Soviet pact of 1939 made it “politically undesirable, and so carefully sidestepped,” shelving the movie and putting its maker in danger yet again. But even though, late in the novel, Stalin strongly denounces Eisen’s star-crossed last film, Ivan the Terrible, as “an abominable thing,” Eisenstein survives, earning posthumous fame as the definitive Russian filmmaker of his time. A nuanced portrait of the artist, warts and all.

An ousted founder attempts to heal her wounds via a jet set party marathon. T H E R A L LY

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F I C T I O N // M Y S T E R Y

The Lost Souls of Saint Oda’s Armstrong, Jess | Minotaur (320 pp.) | $29 November 3, 2026 | 9781250374684

A resourceful amateur sleuth explores a forbidding asylum to learn the truth about her mother. Ruby Vaughn’s fourth case opens in February 1923 with a disturbing telegram and a concise summary of previous events in the series. Ruby, an American heiress, narrates this story, beginning in the charming bookshop she manages in the British cathedral city of Exeter. The store is owned by her protector, the enigmatic octogenarian Mr. Owen. Ruby, 30, has solved “multiple murders in the last six months—been shot. Been poisoned. Nearly been killed.” Still, her relationship with the Cornish folk healer Ruan Kivell has blossomed. Then Ruby’s solicitor informs her that her mother, Eva, long thought to have perished on the Lusitania in 1915 with Ruby’s father and sister, is actually alive and confined in a priory asylum in Belgium. Overcome with anxiety and longing, Ruby and Ruan rush to the village of Saint Oda to learn the truth. Instead of a joyful reunion, Ruby is told Eva drowned just days earlier, and was hastily buried. A stunned Ruby refuses to believe this. The more the bereft daughter investigates, the more her suspicions deepen. She tangles with several sketchy characters, including the duplicitous Dr. von Keller, who runs the asylum. The stress of the search also imperils her relationship with Ruan. Though the novel is set in the 1920s, Armstrong’s prose feels Victorian in its formality and elaborately expressed distress— landing awkwardly on the ears of contemporary readers. A high-stakes whodunit darkened by the aftermath of the Great War.

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A Murmuration of Starlings Burrows, Steve | Dundurn (360 pp.) | $17.99 paper | September 22, 2026 | 9781459756595

Two dead bodies in grisly configurations, one in England and one in Australia, demand international police cooperation—­ and attention to local birds. DCI Domenic Jejeune is on leave in Norfolk while his actions in his last case are under review. Then he’s pulled away from bird-­ watching by a text from criminal Ray Hayes. Jejeune’s romantic partner, Lindy Hey, who’s perfectly happy to wait in the car while her mate bird-watches, is once again in danger. In a previous book, she was taken hostage and her life was threatened by a man named Peter Mahler; she escaped by passing a gun to Hayes, who shot Mahler. During the investigation into Mahler’s death, Lindy’s role wasn’t publicly disclosed, but now Hayes is threatening to report her as an accessory to murder. (No one ever raises the possibility of a self-defense plea.) To accede to the blackmail and keep Lindy out of prison, Jejeune hops on the next flight to Western Australia, home to malleefowl, emus, and the corpse of an Aboriginal man, Neil Warrilow, which has been found flung over a miles-long fence. Hayes, who had a public row with Warrilow the day of his killing, demands that Jejeune defend him by finding the real killer. By coincidence, Jejeune’s superintendent, Colleen Shepherd, happens to be on holiday in Western Australia, so she’s on hand to introduce Jejeune to the Australian officers on the case. Meanwhile, back in England, Jejeune’s colleague Sergeant Danny Maik investigates the death of a cutting-­ edge CEO, thrown to his death from the roof of his factory and stabbed on the sign of his corporation’s name. Could the two deaths on opposite sides of the world be connected? Relying on the characters and events of the previous nine books, this is strictly for the birders.

Murder of a Merry Gentleman Connally, Celeste | Minotaur (320 pp.) | $28 November 10, 2026 | 9781250387424

A bachelor auction and ball turn very dark indeed. In this fourth installment of the Lady Petra mysteries, the Lady Patronesses of London’s famed Almack’s Assembly Rooms decide to “combine our social enjoyment with our good deeds” by sponsoring four charity balls. Families who bid on the privilege of hosting earn their marriageable daughter the right to dance with four eligible bachelors dubbed “the Merry Gentlemen” in whatever order she pleases. Each ball is set during the fortnight leading to Christmas Eve 1815. On the night of the first gala, Heathcliff Dearden is found dead, sprawled on the ballroom floor. His prospective partners aren’t terribly disturbed because he was the shortest of the Gentlemen and not of an agreeable temperament. But Lady Iris Ashwell-­Fawley, the Patroness who first proposed the bachelor auction, is apoplectic. On no account, she rules, can the balls be canceled; they must conceal Dearden’s body until after Christmas and, in the meantime, claim that he has been called back to his family’s home in Lancashire. Lady Petra Forsyth, well-known to Connally fans as the headstrong moral center in such predicaments, somehow concedes to this absurd plan. She agrees to investigate Dearden’s death so they will have information to share with the authorities if and when the Patronesses see fit to inform them. From this preposterous premise springs a flood of absurdities. In a move suggesting Bridgerton meets The Bachelor meets The Big Bang Theory, the bachelorettes turn out to be a band of female scientists seeking to publish their research, which was stolen by a house cleaner who is mother to a street urchin Petra has been teaching to read. For all K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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Ever wondered what became of the post-conversion Ebenezer Scrooge? A SCROOGE MYSTERY

its posh trappings, Connally’s pseudo-­ Victorian dialogue can’t conceal the unethical sense of entitlement endemic to her ensemble. This time Connally’s heroine comes off as not just headstrong but morally obtuse.

A Scrooge Mystery Cordani, Andreina | Pegasus Crime (368 pp.) $28.95 | November 3, 2026 | 9798897102129

The murder of a Victorian housemaid attracts the attention of London’s most unlikely sleuth. A year after the events of A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is visiting St Gideon’s churchyard for another one-sided conversation with his late partner, Jacob Marley, when he realizes that the woman slumped over a neighboring gravesite isn’t just weary but coshed and slashed to death. Finding the murder weapon in the possession of Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s long-suffering clerk, the police promptly arrest him. Scrooge, who’s done his best to turn over a new leaf since visits from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, can’t believe that his inoffensive clerk could have killed the housemaid Christina Ann Parley. It seems much more likely that her killer was an associate of Butch Parley, her criminally connected father buried in St Gideon’s, or Edgar “the Gentleman” Parley, his son and successor. As Scrooge struggles to find time—apart from unwelcome new social responsibilities and a potential business partnership to cash in on the promising recent K IR KU S R E V IE W S

invention of Christmas cards—much of the legwork falls on Cratchit’s youngest son, Tiny Tim. The mystery is more conscientious than inspired, and Cordani seems to have settled into writing Christmas mysteries in idiomatic, polished magazine prose—quite unlike Charles Dickens. But Cordani is especially sensitive to the great problem faced by Scrooge, whose pitiable cry, “I have been good this year….Spirits, I have been good!” reflects the fact that no one is sure that this new, improved Scrooge can be trusted not to revert back into the world’s most famous miser. Ever wondered what became of the post-conversion Ebenezer Scrooge? This tale is happy to bring you up to date.

Death by Red Velvet Latte Erickson, Alex | Kensington (320 pp.) | $9.99 paper | October 27, 2026 | 9781496759238

A jittery bride must add solving murders to her to-do list. In this cozy, chatty story, Krissy Hancock is co-owner of Death by Coffee, a coffee shop in the fictional Pine Hills, Ohio, and is aiming to add a second store in California. Even as the business expands, hassles are mounting: The espresso machine is kaput and Krissy and her fiancé, police officer Paul Dalton, have yet to find a place to live. Then two weeks before the wedding, their baker calls and cancels the order for their wedding cake. So Krissy and Paul audition the two remaining bakers in town, who seem more intent on feuding with each other than creating a

confection. As Paul and Krissy weigh the pros and cons of each sample, Kennedy Ingold, daughter of their original choice, bursts in and asks for her cake to be considered. In the end, the pair decides to hire Max Race, but when Krissy goes to his bakeshop to tell him, she finds Max and his adversary Lars Calhoon both dead on the floor. Max’s assistant assumes that Krissy, who’s clutching a rolling pin covered in red icing, is the killer. Det. John Buchannan, perpetually annoyed with Krissy for meddling in murder cases, arrives and hears her story. Now that she has mere days until her wedding, relatives arriving, and no one to bake her cake, Krissy’s panic is mounting. She decides if these nuptials are ever going to happen, she has to find the killer. Plenty of unexpected developments decorate this tale, setting the table for major changes in the next “Death by” entry.

The First Ladies’ Guide to Murder Flower, Amanda | Kensington (320 pp.) | $27 November 24, 2026 | 9781496759528

The most influential women of Gilded Age D.C. take it upon themselves to solve the murder of a White House servant. The prolific Flower begins this new series in 1894 as the only daughter of Ulysses S. Grant, Nellie Grant Sartoris, returns from England with her three children, trailed by the news of her scandalous divorce. Her mother, Julia Grant, is determined to re-­­establish Nellie, 39, in Washington, D.C. society. Against a national backdrop of high unemployment and monetary crisis, Nellie and her mother attend a state dinner at the White House. The current first lady, the beautiful Frances Folsom Cleveland—27 years younger than President Grover Cleveland— wears a stunning Tiffany brooch. The lavish gathering turns somber when the brooch goes missing under the noses of SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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A cold case unit finds the trail so cold that time travel is necessary. THE KILLING TIME

former acting first lady Mary “Mamie” Harrison McKee, Deputy Postmaster Frank Hatch Jones, and the rest of the throng. When it’s found in the pocket of Kitty Thorn, a White House servant of long standing, she confesses, but Nellie doesn’t believe her. Despite the difference in their stations, Kitty and Nellie had been friends. Then Kitty’s body is found in a pond near the White House, the same one where her sister drowned herself. The police close the case as a suicide, but the first lady, whose friends call her Frank, is more inclined to suspect Kitty was framed and murdered. She enlists Nellie and Julia to help investigate what really happened. An empty mailbag found near the pond becomes a useful clue, and Nellie, Julia, Frank, and Mamie are soon on the road to forming an unusual group of sleuths. A charming series kickoff steeped in historical detail capitalizes on an intimate look at the workings of the White House.

A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder Freeman, Dianne | Kensington (304 pp.) $27 | September 29, 2026 | 9781496745170

Christmas celebrations become fodder for a British family of budding sleuths. In this 10th Countess of Harleigh mystery, serious storms and a roundly disliked village doctor derail the family plan for a jolly Victorian country Christmas. Countess Frances Harleigh narrates the upholstered 24

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story, starting in London circa 1900, as she relents to her husband George Hazelton’s bid to spend the holiday at the Norfolk estate Hadley Grange, home of his sister and brother-in-law, Fiona and Sir Robert Nash. But rather than finding picturesque snow and cozy fires, the visit is besieged by cold, damp, nasty storms. The Hazelton governess assigns the children from both families to write a a Christmas story. Much to Frances’ dismay, the youngsters become engrossed in composing “A Christmas Murder.” During a performance of A Christmas Carol at the village church, the Hazelton clan meets Dr. Joshua Penhollow, a detested man suspected of killing a patient. When a severe storm draws George and Robert and the local constable away to help clear a road, most of the remaining kinfolk walk back to the village. The party stumbles across the body of Dr. Penhollow in a muddy field. Because the police sergeant is absent, Pen­ hollow was the coroner, and Robert is the local magistrate, the countess tries to calm the children and takes matters in hand. She sends for a doctor from another town and installs the body in the Grange conservatory. The family finds that the doctor was so reviled, and the village so full of characters, that they’re faced with an overabundance of suspects. Not even murder can dim the joy of Christmas in this charming mystery.

For more by Dianne Freeman, visit Kirkus online.

The Killing Time Griffiths, Elly | Pamela Dorman/Viking (320 pp.) | $30 | November 17, 2026 9780593834619

A cold case unit finds the trail so cold that time travel is necessary to solve crimes. In this second Ali Dawson mystery, the brilliant time-­t raveling detective finds she must make another foray to Victorian London, even though she’s barely managed to return from 1850. Her mentor, a physicist called Jones, is stuck in the Victorian era while Dawson and her London team are marooned in 2024, forbidden from further time travel. At a loss, Ali delves into the case of a young man who fell to his death from a high building. This leads her to the psychic Barry Power, who shocks Ali and her friend Dina at his show by mentioning Jones. In the midst of all this, Ali’s cat Terry goes missing. The detective decides to go back in time a few days to close the cat door and matters go predictably askew. Ali lands back in Victorian London, where she’s picked up by Jones, holding Terry in her arms. Jones, who has no interest in returning to 2024, has transformed into Lady Serafina Pellegrini, made wealthy by judicious investments. Back home, one of Ali’s three ex-husbands has been murdered, but of course she’s not around to ask questions. When Barry Power is murdered in 2024, Ali—whose return has been aided by the 1851 version of Power—arrives on the scene in Victorian attire. Only Dina’s relationship with the investigating officer keeps her out of jail, leaving the team to solve murders both past and present. A fascinating look at Victorian life from the formidable Griffiths, who astutely melds crime, romance, and time travel.

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Death of a Grill Master Hollis, Lee | Kensington (320 pp.) | $9.99 paper September 29, 2026 | 9781496743558

A restaurant owner probes the death of a fellow restaurateur. Hayley Powell is proud of the modest success of Hayley’s Kitchen, her eatery in Bar Harbor, Maine. But even she acknowledges that Hank Desmond’s Slaughterhouse Smoke Shack is a shinier star in the local food scene, especially since Hank’s on the verge of a nationwide launch of his Devil Fire Barbecue Sauce. His lucky streak ends, though, after the town’s Labor Day fireworks extravaganza, when he turns up floating dead in the water. It’s not clear why Hayley feels obliged to investigate Hank’s murder. Caleb Maddox, the town’s new police chief, seems perfectly capable of handling his job. Maybe it’s just her frustration that Maddox is replacing her brother-in-law, Sergio Alvarez, who’s relocating to his native São Paulo, taking Hayley’s brother, Randy, with him. Whatever her motivation, Hayley runs a brisk, if predictable, investigation for two-thirds of the book, methodically confronting each of the suspects with reasons they might have disliked the self-important barbecue king. She even manages to extract classified information from Earl, Maddox’s deputy, despite the chief’s threats to fire him for helping Hayley. But then Hollis throws a series of roadblocks into Hayley’s probe, launching a cascade of false solutions that lead to an annoying herky-jerky finish. As Hayley abandons one promising lead after another, she reinterviews suspects who get so irritated that readers may wonder why they don’t just tell the amateur sleuth to mind her own beeswax. A bunch of sad farewells along with increasingly uninspired recipes in Hayley’s long-running food column, most of them based on marinating some kind of meat in some kind of store-bought sauce and throwing it on the grill, suggest that Hayley may be ready to pack it in. A tasty treat spoiled by overcooking. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding Ireland, Liz | Kensington (272 pp.) | $18.95 paper | September 29, 2026 | 9781496763013

A foundling and a fig dessert drive April Claus’ latest adventures as she continues to navigate life at the North Pole. Despite the challenges of living in a world peopled by frisky elves, talking reindeer, and the occasional inebriated snowman, April’s thrown herself wholeheartedly into her role as partner to St. Nick. She plays percussion in the Santaland Concert Band, writes clues for the Santaland scavenger hunt, and serves as stage manager for this year’s production of A Christmas Carol. And that’s all before someone leaves a baby elf on her doorstep accompanied by an anonymous note pleading with her to care for little August. Refusing to consign the tiny girl to the Home for Orphaned Elves, where an epidemic of eider pox is raging, she searches diligently for the foundling’s true parents while of course falling in love with Augie herself. April has always been an engaging protagonist, striving to fit into a world where Christmas lasts most of the year. But watching her work persistently to give Augie the best life possible catapults her appeal higher than Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. April’s search takes her to hidden corners of Santaland, giving Ireland the space to showcase her elaborately detailed fantasy world and its colorful cast of characters. The murder that occurs onstage at a Christmas Carol rehearsal, when April supplies a prop pudding that poisons one of the elves, is little more than a distraction from the main mystery: Who are Augie’s parents, and what will happen to April’s world if and when she finds them? Ireland’s latest trip to the North Pole will touch readers’ hearts while tickling their funny bones.

The Body in the Bath Jónasson, Ragnar | Trans. by Philip Roughton Minotaur (288 pp.) | $29 | November 10, 2026 9781250408327

Police detective Helgi Reykdal and his predecessor, Det. Hulda Hermannsdóttir, feature in surprising new roles in the latest from the Reykjavík CID. Still grieving the death of Aníta, the girlfriend who was run down by his former lover, Bergþóra Úlfsdóttir, Helgi has a new reason for unhappiness when Bergþóra herself dies. He certainly isn’t sorry that Bergþóra’s dead, and the manner of her death in a bathtub casts new light on the wild tale of Rebekka, the daughter of Hulda’s mother’s friend Rúna, who claims that she found a body in her bathtub, ran off in panic, and returned to find it gone. No, the reason for Helgi’s distress is that his colleagues Alexander and Máni are treating him as a person of interest in Bergþóra’s death. Trying to distract himself from the evidence mounting against him by looking into the disappearance of Hulda, who vanished six months ago, Helgi is powerless to prevent his own arrest. Even after he’s released for lack of hard evidence, the case against him keeps getting stronger, largely because of the revelation that after her car struck and killed Aníta, Bergþóra forthrightly announced that Helgi would be next, presenting her former live-in with a combination of the two best motives in the world for killing her. Reflecting their author’s passion for classic whodunits, both Helgi and several other characters are inspired in their actions and deductions by half a dozen golden age mysteries listed in a headnote. Unlike those treasured models, however, Helgi’s case ends with a genuine cliffhanger. The reader, as John Dickson Carr might say, has been warned. Apart from the appeal of the case itself, it’s fascinating to watch the traditional tropes Jónasson does and doesn’t borrow.

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As the friends zip around the world, the case becomes pleasantly complicated. WE CHASE SHADOWS

Murder at Pellhurst Pond McKenna, Clara | Kensington (304 pp.) $27 | October 27, 2026 | 9781496758385

An equine-loving American and her aristocratic British husband pursue their next go at crime-solving. Wealthy heiress Stella Kendrick’s father married her off to Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst. At first, their mutual love of horses was the marital glue, but by 1906 their many adventures in amateur detection have cemented a true love match—even though Stella’s inability to get pregnant has her mother-in-law restricting her activities and making life miserable. In this eighth book in the Stella and Lyndy series, the couple awakes to a sky holding a bobbing gas balloon. They are enticed by the thrill and beauty of this new mode of transportation, and so is their new acquaintance Quentin Lockyear, who also has his eye on its financial potential. He invites Stella and Lyndy into his Rolls-Royce for a trip to Exbury Lodge, where Quentin’s father-in-law, Reuben Woodridge, is rumored to have murdered his wife. He meets the couple carrying his shotgun, accompanied by his nurse and daughter, Enid. The Woodridges and the local people have beef. Reuben and his louche grandson, Guy, give their visitors a tour of the stables and invite them to use the skiff on the estate’s millpond whenever they please. Returning the next day for a bird shoot, Stella and Lyndy find a well-dressed woman’s 26

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body in the pond. There is no identification. Moved by all the odd circumstances around her, Stella, who can’t resist a puzzle, invites Lyndy to join her in another round of sleuthing. They uncover several Woodridge mysteries before another murder makes their task even more difficult and dangerous. A pleasing mixture of mystery, romance, and historical detail.

We Chase Shadows Osman, Richard | Pamela Dorman/Viking (368 pp.) | $31 | September 15, 2026 9798217060399

The Thursday Murder Club takes a breather while Osman’s other group of amateur investigators handles its second case. After their adventure in We Solve Murders (2024), retired London cop Steve Wheeler, now happily retired to small-town Axley, England; his daughter-in-law, Amy, who’d been working for an international security company; and bestselling novelist Rosie D’Antonio teamed up to turn Steve’s little company, Steve Investigates—which looked into things like lost dogs and cheating spouses—into a more ambitious agency called We Solve Murders. The only problem is that there haven’t been any murders to solve. Then they get a call from Vern Blackwood, one of whose bodyguards has been killed outside his villa in Tuscany—and who saw Rosie promoting her latest book on TV, just when he needed a discreet investigator.

The three friends hop on Rosie’s private jet and soon arrive at Vern’s hilltop villa, where they learn he’s involved in the shady business of selling counterfeit vitamins. The one person he’s sure didn’t kill his bodyguard is the person who signed the threatening note left on the body— Jakob Eriksson, the mysterious kingpin of the fake prescription drug business in Europe. They had an agreement, Vern says, though everyone else who’d been party to that agreement, made in Las Vegas five years ago, is now dead. Steve, Amy, and Rosie decide they’d better start looking for this Eriksson, even though their client doesn’t want them to. After getting off to a slow start, Osman sets the pieces in motion with his usual charm and deadpan humor. It’s fun to watch Amy and Steve try to fit into Rosie’s glamorous world: “Amy has never been to a book launch before—­ I mean, who on earth has?” As the friends zip around the world, the case becomes pleasantly complicated, and Osman wraps things up with a bang. It’s a pleasure spending time with Osman’s quirky detectives, who are much more capable than they seem.

Murder on Threadneedle Street Penrose, Andrea | Kensington (368 pp.) $27 | September 29, 2026 | 9781496757173

It takes an extended crime-­solving family to help foil a murderous counter­ feiting ring in Regency England. In this deft, enjoyable latest edition to the Wrexford & Sloane Mysteries, a lively family is drawn into a deadly criminal ring. Charlotte, Countess of Wrexford, has a hidden life as A.J. Quill, a satirical artist, while her husband, the Earl of Wrexford, cultivates his passion for science and new inventions. Their extended family includes Charlotte’s K IR KU S R E V IE W S

M Y S T E R Y // F I C T I O N

fetching half sister and a trio of former street urchins. One boy, Hawk, is distraught when his drawing tutor, Fletcher Campbell, is murdered on Threadneedle Street. His pleas plunge the family and their friends into a dangerous hunt. Charlotte, with her artistic eye, notes that Fletcher’s ring is missing from his dead hand. The friend who recommended Campbell to the Wrexfords reveals that the tutor’s family was neck-deep in a counterfeit money scandal that nearly brought down the Regency government and the Bank of England. The uproar sent Campbell’s artistically gifted young nephew out of the country. The earl hires an investigator, who deputizes a clutch of London street children to snoop around; the urchins barely escape with their lives. Because paper money in this era was easily counterfeited, the Bank of England offers 20,000 pounds to anyone who can use the new engineering techniques to create an inimitable bank note.The Wexfords’ new drawing tutor, Jack MacArthur, turns out exquisite work, and so he should, for he’s the missing Campbell returned from America. He also works in a gun store. The enmity between the rival prize hunters and nefarious outside players make it dangerous for the experienced sleuths to unravel a series of crimes. A primer on fake money and Regency inventions goes hand in hand with an exciting and complex mystery.

The Route 66 Detective in Missouri Pierce, Micki | Sibylline Press (222 pp.) | $18 paper | September 11, 2026 | 9798897409600

A former World War I fighter pilot works to extricate a foolish man from a dangerous situation. In this new series, with its down-home appeal, Mac McCarty has dodged K IR KU S R E V IE W S

death during WWI dogfights and while racing his motorcycle on the lethal backcountry circuits. Now his current boss, attorney Asa Burton, has helped wealthy Isaac Anderson transfer his zinc mine to his prodigal son, Andy, in hopes of instilling some sense of responsibility in the wayward young man. It’s 1937 and Mac maintains a room at Our Motor Court, run by widowed Lydia James. Mac likes the unfussy room and its convenient location on Route 66. He and Lydia develop a friendship bordering on romance, and Mac often borrows her truck when his motorcycle won’t work. Out on a date with Lydia, Mac spots the gangster Carlo Manzetti and suspects he might well be among the thugs threatening Andy. During a visit to the Anderson estate, Mac meets the housekeeper’s attractive daughter, who’s known Andy for years and tells Mac that they once had an affair. At the main house, Mac talks to Andy’s lovely wife, Gwennie, and to his father, who tells him that although Andy isn’t stealing from the mine, he’s getting money from somewhere to bankroll his drinking, gambling, womanizing, and—probably—illicit drug use. After Mac interviews mine manager Dan Darrow and secretary Ava Patterson, he discovers that the mine trucks are being used to transport bootleg hooch to a nightclub Mac visits with Ava. Andy, who’s living in an apartment with Verna Reed over a hardware store, is absent when Mac calls. Next day, Verna is found dead, and Mac takes on the dangerous task of trying to keep Andy out of jail for murder. Route 66 is a full character in this welcome debut, and a conduit for more promising cases.

For more mystery reviews, visit Kirkus online.

Sawgrass Grave Terpening, Brooke | Severn River Publishing (284 pp.) | $18.99 paper | February 2, 2027 9798904111410

Defending a crime boss could redeem a disgraced lawyer’s career…­or end it. Brianna Broussard is someone to root for—she has a temper, a sailboat she can barely afford to live on, and a case she arguably shouldn’t have taken. But the chance to join the team defending infamous Miami nightclub owner Niko Moreno hits her like a lifeline. Once a rising prosecutor with a promising future, she sent an innocent man to prison, where he was subsequently killed. The fault in this case was not hers, but the tragedy led to the loss of her law license and her current hardscrabble existence as a freelance investigator for insurance firms. Now Moreno’s formidable reputation as a Miami crime kingpin complicates his defense against murder. High-profile defense attorney Barry Stern hires Brie not as a lawyer but to scour up evidence about Tiffany Carson, the manager of Moreno’s shady club who was decapitated and left in the Everglades for the alligators. The understandably suspicious Moreno has little reason to trust Brie. Terpening’s busy debut is both a detective novel and a courtroom drama. The former finds Brie questioning a series of disreputable Miami characters; the latter benefits from the author’s experience as an attorney. Though the plot at times feels overstuffed and some threads receive short shrift, the tenacious, resourceful Brie is an ideal protagonist struggling to restore her reputation and battered self-worth. This is the first of a proposed four-­ volume series, laying the groundwork for future entertaining episodes with a colorful supporting cast. A juicy, propulsive crime story set in vibrant contemporary Miami. SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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1

3

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For more booklists, visit Kirkus online.

4

5

Sizzling Short Story Collections 1 All This Want (and I Can’t Get None) By T Clark

Achingly beautiful stories full of wit, intelligence, and raw immediacy.

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2 Desperate Bodies By Lydia Mathis

Compelling and realistic characters will linger in your consciousness long after you’ve finished the book.

3 Terrestrial

By Cristina Rivera Garza; trans. by Christina MacSweeney

Incandescent.

4 Storyknife By Jess Row

A triumph that undercuts the conditions of its own existence.

5 Wounded Boarders

By George Singleton

A Southern comic master in top form.

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New Novel in Kay Scarpetta Series Coming in 2027 Scribner will publish Patricia Cornwell’s Rapid and Fatal next winter. Kay Scarpetta is coming back for her 30th case. Scribner announced that next year it will publish Patricia Cornwell’s Rapid and Fatal, a new installment in the series of thrillers featuring medical examiner Scarpetta. Cornwell introduced Scarpetta in the 1990 novel Postmortem, and 28 more books have followed, including The Body Farm, Black Notice,

Patricia Cornwell

Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan v ia Get t y Images

SEEN AND HEARD

Flesh and Blood, and, most recently, Sharp Force. The novels have sold more than 120 million copies worldwide. Rapid and Fatal will follow a billionaire couple found dead in their home after being stung by yellow jackets. Scarpetta suspects the deaths are not accidental. News of the novel comes during a busy year for Cornwell. Scarpetta, an Amazon Prime Video series based on her novels, starring Nicole Kidman in the title role, premiered in March. Cornwell’s memoir, True Crime, was published in May by Grand Central, which also published the last four Scarpetta novels. “When I wrote Postmortem in the late 1980s, it made the rounds in New York City, one publisher after the next turning it down,” Cornwell said in a statement. “[But] Scribner thought the crime novel original, the protagonist Dr. Kay Scarpetta unusual and dynamic. Postmortem went on to win five major thriller awards, launching the forensic craze. None of it would have happened without Scribner.” Rapid and Fatal is slated for publication on Jan. 19, 2027. —MICHAEL SCHAUB For a review of Sharp Force, visit Kirkus online.

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Book to Screen

Morgan Spector To Star in The Secret of Secrets The actor will play Robert Langdon in Netflix’s series adaptation of the Dan Brown novel. Move over, Tom Hanks: There’s a new Robert Langdon in town. Morgan Spector will play Langdon in Netflix’s upcoming series adaptation of Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets, Deadline reports. Brown introduced Langdon, a Harvard professor who often finds himself embroiled in intricate conspiracies, in the 2000 thriller Angels & Demons. Three years later, he brought back Langdon in The Da Vinci Code, which became a massive

bestseller, as did the sequels The Lost Symbol, Inferno, Origin, and The Secret of Secrets, published last year by Doubleday. Hanks played Langdon in the film adaptations of The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Inferno, all directed by Ron Howard. A Peacock series based on The Lost Symbol, starring Ashley Zukerman as Langdon, aired for one season in 2021. Spector, known for his roles in the television series Homeland and The Gilded Age, will be joined in the Secret of Secrets cast by Rebecca Hall (Christine, Passing). The showrunner for the series is Carlton Cuse (Lost, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan), who will executive-­p roduce alongside Brown. Brown shared news of Spector’s casting on Instagram, writing, “Excited to share the news that Morgan Spector is our new Robert Langdon! I’ve been a fan of Morgan’s work for many years and I’m excited to see him bring this book to life.” —M.S.

Ar turo Holmes/Get t y Images for Tribec a Festi val.

For a review of The Secret of Secrets, visit Kirkus online.

Morgan Spector

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F I C T I O N // S C I E N C E F I C T I O N A N D F A N T A S Y

Aykroyd’s fiction debut is a light, deliberately over-the-top SF yarn. SOULHIDER

Soulhider Aykroyd, Dan | Harper/HarperCollins (272 pp.) $30 | October 27, 2026 | 9780063492837

An interstellar rivalry is afoot, and an insurance consultant in upstate New York is caught in the crossfire. The fiction debut of Saturday Night Live legend Aykroyd is a light, deliberately over-thetop science fiction yarn. Douglas Arthur Beeston, a “quiet-living professional independent insurance claims arbitration consultant” with a wife and two young daughters, has been recruited by an alien race, the Gveem, to help hide containers of human souls until they can be properly “recycled” into new Earthly beings. He’s flattered at being selected (he’s allegedly “pure”) and eager for some excitement. So, armed with a tricked-out Cadillac and a device that can freeze or vaporize the overly curious, he stashes the containers of souls in an abandoned farmhouse, water tower, and other remote sites. This attracts the notice of police, various miscreants, and his wife, but Doug is well rewarded for his labors. Enter the Kvuur, rivals of the Gveem who use souls solely as fuel, who strong-arm Doug into their service, with understandably messy consequences. Aykroyd is a comic actor, and his book has a playful tone, but it’s also clear that he takes the astrophysical and ethical elements of his premise seriously: In an afterword, he describes his passion for ufology and his own experience spotting what he claims was an interstellar vehicle, and the plot thoughtfully engages with the question of how we can properly steward our resources, and what might incentivize us to do so. Aykroyd has some 32

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work to do as a stylist; his sentences can at times be bland and flat. (“A scream from the woman with the bikers stopped him. It was not a scream of pleasure. It was one of pain.”) But the cleverness of his conceit, and his commitment to its integrity, suggests he has some literary talent to burn. An entertainingly down-to-earth extraterrestrial story.

The Lost Spectacular Duhaime, Zoé | Erewhon (288 pp.) | $32 September 29, 2026 | 9781645663348

Estranged childhood friends turned rivals Noon Bonaventure and Munro Forrest find themselves pitted against each other in a romantic game of cat and mouse as they grapple for control over the Spectacular, a magical festival showcasing all the world’s missing items. Set in cities that are described as “Not-Unlike-Montréal” and “would have been like New York,” this is the story of Noon Bonaventure, a young bookshop owner, and Munro Forrest, a successful museum curator. Childhood best friends turned sweethearts turned rivals, Noon and Munro had their lives changed forever one evening when they followed Munro’s grandmother into the Spectacular. Found in the pages of misprinted books, the Spectacular is a dazzling, constantly changing magical festival composed of all the things people have lost over time, ranging from umbrellas to beloved family recipes to wine that was made for the NASA mathematicians who worked on the moon landing. Invitations for the festival are few and far between

and coveted by those who do come upon them. Years later, when Noon’s bookshop closes, she eagerly takes on the role of the Spectacular’s new ringmaster. Munro, jealous of Noon’s access to the Spectacular, becomes determined to return the lost items that have been collected to their rightful owners and hopes to capture the festival for his next exhibit. As opening night approaches, the two find themselves entangled in a game of cat and mouse as they chase each other through the stories—both in books and in real life—that shaped them. While the prose is lyrical—sometimes overly so—and the premise intriguing, the worldbuilding and magic systems are not easily set up for readers to comprehend, resulting in a story that’s overly complicated and frustratingly hard to follow. Readers will be left wanting more from both Duhaime’s characters and the story. A touching and magical romance that’s hindered by its flowery prose and overly complicated plot.

Kirkus Star

A Wall Is Also a Road Newitz, Annalee | Tor (304 pp.) | $28.99 October 6, 2026 | 9781250228031

A sentient slime mold makes the inhabitants of Pompeii the subject of their academic dissertation. Speculative fiction is rife lately with novels set in academia or featuring academics as protagonists; most are fantasy, concerning sorcerers, vampires, etc., engaged in a brutal battle for survival and/or graduation. SF academia stories usually involve humans studying aliens and their artifacts. This novel flips that conceit on its head—or its head-shaped blob. What’s more, rather than being set in the future, it takes place in the distant past. Gardenpath is shocked to discover that there’s intelligent multicellular life on a remote planet called Earth. As they explore this peculiar ecosystem, they masquerade as a K IR KU S R E V IE W S

S C I E N C E F I C T I O N A N D F A N T A S Y // F I C T I O N

human in an attempt to understand the locals’ sound-based language and bizarre culture, which leads to their unprofessional emotional and physical relationship with Murtis, a sex worker at a Pompeiian brothel. To succeed in their graduate studies, Gardenpath must gather data about this messy and compelling situation on Earth to please their abusive and corrupt academic advisor, even as the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius looms ever closer. This is a delightfully successful conjunction of the author’s nonfiction study of ancient civilizations (Four Lost Cities, 2021) with their fictional exploration of the oddities of humanity through a nonhuman lens (Automatic Noodle, 2025). Like that novel, this is a semicozy; it features higher stakes and somewhat more explicit sex than cozies usually have, but also incorporates found family and the strong desire for peace and community. Its strong moral center is perhaps troubled by the fact that Gardenpath never faces repercussions for their academic sins; their entanglement with Murtis, a subject of their research, only leads to brief censure from a mentor. There’s still sufficient dramatic tension in the story, including the sadness inherent in Gardenpath and Murtis’ significantly different life spans; plus it’s pleasing to see justice done to a predatory senior academic, which seems to happen so rarely in real life. Very strange and strangely satisfying.

Massif Nix, Garth | Harper Voyager (352 pp.) | $30 September 8, 2026 | 9780063292017

Nix’s first adult SF release is set in a universe ravaged by war and inhabited by mysterious, godlike Massifs that tear lose from their planetary homes and travel to the stars for reasons far beyond humankind’s perception. In 2096, a girl goes missing from a village in the foothills of a mountain K IR KU S R E V IE W S

range in Madagascar. A few months later, the entire Massif—with a passenger that could’ve been an avatar of the missing girl—pulls free from Earth and heads for an unknown location somewhere in deep space. Decades later, after factions of humanity have figured out that some of these Massifs allow people to ride them to their destinations—“We’re fleas riding around on interstellar dogs”—conflict arises when these destinations turn out to be habitable planets, some rich in resources. An on-again, off-again war ensues between the governments of United Earth and Mars. When ship leader Parnell Shi-Sawahla and the small crew of the Sassafras hitch a ride on a Massif to battle Mars soldiers on a wild world populated by tentacled monstrosities, one of the crew crash-lands on the planet just before the war is declared over. After all military units are ordered to return to their home bases, Parnell and his crew vow to somehow find and rescue their shipmate—even if it means potentially stranding themselves. While the Massif concept is initially intriguing, the story never finds its groove, due in large part to its noticeably slow pace, two-dimensional characters, and low overall intensity. Also, the first half of the novel is bogged down by unnecessary SF mumbo jumbo—“Under max acceleration. Red ten, z on our axis is plus eleven, range one hundred and sixty-five K, closing”—empty words that eventually bog down the reading experience. Sadly, this SF rescue mission misses the mark.

Birth of the Witch Roberts, Nora | St. Martin’s (432 pp.) | $30 November 17, 2026 | 9781250431363 Series: Coven of Three Trilogy, 1

In the first book of a new series, Roberts introduces a witch who’s on the hunt for a man from her past. In 1695, Niamh McShane was hanged on her 13th birthday for the crime of

witchcraft. Young Niamh wasn’t a witch—that is, until the moment of her death, when two caring older witches (and one mysterious boy) used their powers to turn her into one. In 2013, Neve McShane turns 13 and her aunts tell her the secret of her powers and her past. In the past 300-plus years, the three of them have lived many lives together—in this one they’re back on Piety Island in Massachusetts, where she died in the 1600s. But now that Neve is a teenager and able to remember her past lives, her real work begins. She must find Caden Quinn, the boy who helped her all those years ago, wherever he is in this life. Meanwhile, Caden is on his own quest. Also in possession of magical powers, he keeps dreaming of Neve without knowing her name or location. They’re meant to be together to fight the overwhelming forces of darkness, led by an evil witch named Imogen, but the battle can’t truly begin until they find each other. Roberts alternates between Neve’s and Caden’s points of view as they search for one another and live their lives along the way. Neve helps her aunts run Magicks, a shop where they sell their handmade soaps, lotions, and candles, while Caden builds a small empire of pubs in nearby Boston. As always, Roberts skillfully depicts large, warm families (both blood and found) that band together to help each other. As the first entry in a trilogy, the book’s setup is intriguing but the plot is bogged down by frequent overly detailed digressions—a tighter book would have made for an easier read. However, Roberts excels in creating a cozy, magical world that will attract readers who love Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic and wait all year for spooky season. A promising—if slightly meandering— start to a magical trilogy.

For more by Nora Roberts, visit Kirkus online.

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The Monster Hunter’s Librarian Connolly, Lauren | Berkley (512 pp.) | $20 paper | November 17, 2026 | 9798217188987

A magical library conjures up meet-cute after meet-cute. The Endless Library, just like regular, nonsentient libraries, has something for everyone. For witch Belladonna Mortevue, it’s giving her a chance to pair her passion for librarianship with renewed access to the magic taken from her long ago. For monster hunter Rhett Waltham, its shelves may hold the answer to healing his dying father, just in case he doesn’t win a cure in the dangerous Warrior Trials. When they first meet there, Bells offers to help the grumpy Rhett, but even though he finds her attractive, he chooses to keep his research to himself, and then continues to refuse her assistance, day after day. And day after day, the ever-changing Endless Library, which literally has a mind of its own, keeps finding ways to put Bells and Rhett together, until they give in—first with one good-luck kiss, then another, and then even more. But as they start to admit the depth of their feelings, something evil is coming to light in the magical world they share, and it may put an end to Bells and Rhett’s romance. Connolly, known for both magical and nonmagical contemporary romances, launches an intriguing new series with this uneven tale. The concept—an enchanted, opinionated library and the magical community it serves—is lovingly and bewitchingly described, and the Endless Library is a character in its own right. The plot is action-packed and interesting overall, but unfortunately, the execution is lacking. Bells and Rhett are relatively flat, with character development sacrificed for plot, and though the tension between them is tantalizing in places, their relationship progresses fitfully. Despite these flaws, however, 34

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the book is written well enough to be a page-turner, with fun side characters and solid worldbuilding. If nothing else, it’s certainly charming enough to make readers want to return to the Endless Library. A promising but inconsistent contemporary romantasy for library lovers.

Eight Ways To Say I Love You Elliot, Amanda | Berkley (384 pp.) | $20 paper October 27, 2026 | 9798217189618

Childhood friends face professional and personal highs and lows as their own relationship ebbs and flows over eight Hanukkah seasons. Growing up near each other in New Jersey, Shira Levinson and Leo David were inseparable until Leo’s parents divorced, he moved to Michigan with his mother, and the friends lost touch. At 22, Shira is fresh out of college and living in Los Angeles with incredible career prospects as an artist and gallerist. She’s visiting her parents and planning their annual neighborhood Hanukkah party when she’s reunited with Leo, a college dropout crashing at his estranged father’s house while working a warehouse job he hates. In some ways, their friendship picks right back up where they left off, but differences in their lives push them apart. The story revisits the duo during subsequent holiday seasons, with interstitial texts and emails from other points of the year, as they each try to figure out what they want in a career; navigate complicated relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners; and reflect on their Jewish identity and faith. There is chemistry and a deep connection between them throughout, but this is a super slow-burn romance: Their timing is never quite right as they evolve throughout their messy 20s. The book starts off light and fluffy with silly party shenanigans, but becomes richer and more thoughtful as

the characters mature and go through the trials of figuring out what they truly want from life. Shira and Leo’s winding path to romance shapes the plot, but it’s the focus on the complexities of entering adulthood and the meaningful exploration of career goals, success, and balance that give the book authenticity and emotional depth. A heartwarming and relatable tale of two people who are meant to be together but have some growing up to do first.

Sunflower Season Nava, Danica | Berkley (368 pp.) | $20 paper November 3, 2026 | 9798217188550

A woman moves back to her hometown to buy a farm, only to run into the high school sweetheart she’s spent years trying to forget. When June Walker angrily quits the San Francisco tech job that was making her miserable, she doesn’t have a plan. So when she sees that the beloved sunflower farm that once belonged to her grandmother’s family is up for auction, it feels like a sign. She packs up her things and heads back to Love County, Oklahoma, in the middle of Chickasaw Nation, to snap it up. It takes most of her savings—and everything she knows about farming has been learned from YouTube videos—but she’s determined to make it work. And then she runs into Noah Abbott, the high school sweetheart she left behind when she got a scholarship to UC Berkeley. Noah is now the town’s fire captain, and he’s spent the last 10 years hoping June would make her way back to Love County. He’ll try anything to win her over, even if June is afraid to give their love story another shot. June faces big obstacles with her farm, but her real challenge is accepting that she’s worthy of Noah’s love. She has to handle the logistics that come with getting the farm up and running—including planting and acquiring animals—while Noah tries his best to help her. June is a K IR KU S R E V IE W S

R O M A N C E // F I C T I O N

A steamy and deliciously angsty romance featuring well-drawn characters. IF NOT YOU

slightly unpredictable character, with quickly changing feelings about Noah that don’t always feel earned. Noah, meanwhile, is a romance novel dream man who’s steadfast in his love for June. Their romance is mostly sweet and low on drama, but a nefarious businessman who wants to buy June’s farm provides a necessary obstacle. A pleasant romance with a charming rural setting.

Kirkus Star

If Not You O’Clover, Ellen | Berkley (400 pp.) | $20 paper September 15, 2026 | 9780593952566

A copywriter is forced to take a work trip with her rival, only to discover some inconvenient feelings for him. Mattie French has hated Campbell Porter ever since they were copywriting interns together at a prestigious agency in Chicago and he won the full-time position she coveted. In the past five years, she’s built her own impressive career at a smaller agency, but she’s never stopped loathing Campbell or trying to one-up him—which is hard when they’re always at the same events and he’s always succeeding. When both their agencies are being considered for a luxury hotel account, Mattie’s forced to compete with Campbell on a large scale. Both teams will be traveling to two resorts—one in Aspen and one on the Northern California coast—to spend an entire month testing out the amenities and pitching their campaigns. Mattie needs a K IR KU S R E V IE W S

win to gain a longed-for promotion to senior copywriter, but more than that, she’s desperate to finally best Campbell. But as they enjoy relaxing spa days and endure disastrous horseback rides at the resorts, Mattie realizes that, despite their years of animosity, Campbell might not be as bad as she thought. O’Clover creates an enemies-to-lovers romance that takes readers on a true journey. Campbell and Mattie are so mean to each other at the beginning that it’s hard to believe they’ll convincingly fall in love, but O’Clover pulls it off by ever so slowly revealing their vulnerabilities and ratcheting up the pressure. Both Mattie and Campbell have their own dilemmas in their personal lives—notably, Mattie is stressed about her best friend’s upcoming wedding and the way it might impact their friendship—which makes them feel like fully rounded people outside of their work competition. The resort settings make the perfect backdrop for what proves to be a ton of sexual tension hidden beneath the hatred. A steamy and deliciously angsty romance featuring beautifully well-drawn characters.

The End Goal Penny, Lauren | Dell (368 pp.) | $20 paper October 13, 2026 | 9798217301416

A data analyst and a professional hockey player bring the heat on and off the ice in this enemies-to-­ lovers debut. Briana “Bree” Morgan is a New York City girl through and through, and there are only three little words that could have

made the Queens native leave her Fifth Avenue office, even temporarily: “Youngest. Partner. Ever.” As a senior analyst at a wealth management firm, the prospect of making partner at 29 is enough fuel to take the girl out of Manhattan and plant her hours away in Buffalo. Her promotion hinges on her latest assignment: to lead their newest client, the Buffalo Blizzards hockey team, into clinching a spot in the playoffs with her data and analytics prowess. Despite knowing absolutely nothing about hockey, Bree expects the new gig to be business as usual…until she meets Jake Paxton. The haughty Blizzards’ team captain known for brawling on the ice butts heads with Bree right from the start. With 10 years under his belt in the NHL, Jake doesn’t need statistics to tell him how to score a goal. At 32, all Jake wants to do is renew his contract with the Blizzards and keep his bachelor life exactly as it is, but his feud with Bree is putting that dream at risk. When their boss catches wind of their enmity, Jake strikes up a deal with Bree to keep the peace: He’ll help Bree learn about hockey, and in return, she’ll put in a good word with management about securing his contract. As they spend more time together, they can’t help but realize they’re into one another—but is it wise to catch feelings with Bree leaving when the season ends? Penny’s debut is a classic hockey romance, complete with its upstate New York setting and sexy, sporty side characters. Bree and Jake are a quintessential opposites-attract pairing, with plenty of action on the ice and in the bedroom. Readers eagerly awaiting a new season of Off Campus will get their fix with this first installment of Penny’s Love, New York series. An enjoyable addition to the ever-­ growing universe of hockey romance.

For more romance reviews, visit Kirkus online.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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P O D C A S T // F I C T I O N

Fully Booked

Crash Into Me is chic, globe-trotting erotic suspense with a sense of humor. BY MEGAN LABRISE

EPISODE 485: ROBINNE LEE

On writing about Los Angeles: “I was in LA for two decades, and I got to know that world very well. I know how long it took me to fit in and to feel like I was in a place I could be comfortable. I don’t know that I would have ever called it home, necessarily.” —Robinne Lee THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

Carrie’s Children by Clarence T. Jones A Slaughter of Iguanas by Anne Loiselle Fully Booked is produced by Jessica Lockhart and Megan Labrise.

Theo & Juliet

To listen to the episode, visit Kirkus online.

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On this episode of Fully Booked, internationally bestselling author Robinne Lee joins us to discuss Crash Into Me. In this thrilling sophomore novel, Jamaican Chinese fine art photographer Cecilia Chen relocates to Los Angeles for her husband’s job. Soon after, sparks fly when she collides with a famous French model who she knew many years ago. Lee is a celebrated actor and producer with numerous credits in television and film. Her debut novel, The Idea of You (2017), has been translated into two dozen languages and adapted into a feature film for Amazon Studios. A graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, she has lived in New York and Los Angeles. She now lives in Paris with her husband and two children. Kirkus calls Crash Into Me “thoughtful social commentary meets sensual queer awakening among the Beautiful People.” Here’s a bit more from our review: “It starts with a bang—literally, as Cecilia Chen is rear-ended and smashes into the parked car of another woman who was just about to step through the vehicle’s open door. Thankfully, the woman is uninjured; she turns out to be Anouk Ferrand, a superstar French model and actress. Cecilia worked with Anouk decades earlier...[and] we are quickly made aware that something problematic occurred on that trip.... After Cecilia delivers an apology gift to Anouk’s home, the actress gradually remembers....In the meantime, the two have embarked on an intense and intimate new phase of their relationship. As in her debut, The Idea of You (2017), Lee’s sex scenes artfully blend the explicit with the romantic. The drama escalates as

Crash Into Me Lee, Robinne

St. Martin’s | 384 pp. | $30.00 July 7, 2026 | 9781250412751

both a beloved old boyfriend of Cecilia’s and a starlet mistress of her husband’s arrive on the scene.” In a stimulating conversation, we discuss Cecilia—a woman navigating celebrity, wealth, race, and place, at home and abroad—and the ways in which Lee chose to draw from her own experiences to inform the character. We discuss identity, betrayal, and the hallmarks of erotic suspense. Lee reflects on the film version of The Idea of You, whether she’d option Crash Into Me, and much more. Editor at large Megan Labrise hosts the Fully Booked podcast. SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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A W A R D S // F I C T I O N

Brandon Cruz Gonz ález/El Vocero de Puer to Rico

AWARDS

Julia Alvarez Receives Lifetime Achievement Award The author is known for novels such as How the García Girls Lost Their Accents. The Center for Fiction has named Julia Alvarez the winner of its Lifetime of Excellence

K IR KU S R E V IE W S

in Fiction Award, given to a writer who has “significantly influenced our culture and perspective.” Alvarez, a New York native, was raised in New York and the Dominican Republic. She rose to prominence with her first novel, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, published in 1991 by Algonquin. She went on to write several more novels, including In the Time of Butterflies, Saving the World, and The Cemetery of Untold Stories, as well as a dozen books for children and young readers.

Nina von Moltke, chair of the board of the Center for Fiction, said in a statement, “With her astonishing 1991 debut…Julia Alvarez announced herself as a writer who could not be ignored, giving voice to the Dominican-­A merican experience with a clarity that commands attention.…Few writers have spoken so fully across Julia Alvarez

generations, languages, and cultures.” The Lifetime of Excellence in Fiction Award was established in 2018. Previous winners include Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, and Haruki Murakami. Alvarez will be presented with the award at The Center for Fiction’s awards benefit on Dec. 8. —M.S. For reviews of Julia Alvarez’s books, visit Kirkus online.

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Nonfiction

JOHN McMURTRIE

STILL CAN’T GET enough of the Odyssey? You’re in luck. Two months after the release of Christopher Nolan’s mammoth film adaptation of Homer’s poem, readers can regale themselves with the just-released Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature (Liveright/Norton, Sept. 1). The essay collection is written by Emily Wilson, whose 2017 translation of the Odyssey was the first-­ ever translation of the poem, in English, by a woman. Wilson has Nolan to thank for her book returning to bestseller lists, but this hasn’t stopped her—nor should it—from giving entertaining interviews in which she tears into the film; in a long essay for the London Review of Books, she wrote, “I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script.” In Crossing the WineDark Sea, which earned a Kirkus star, Wilson offers yet more detailed insights into the Odyssey that will fascinate both die-hard classicists and newcomers to ancient texts. As an example, she describes how, “in modern popular 40

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imagination, the Cyclops is a ‘monster.’…And yet in the Greek, Polyphemus is a human being, and the son of a god—although he is also alien in his habits and his physical appearance.” In her translation, therefore, Wilson refers to Polyphemus not as a “beast” but as a “wild man.” She also delves into the poem’s famous opening line, which she has reworked as “Tell me about a complicated man.” Her overall goal, she writes, was “to evoke the energy and clarity and beauty and music and pacing of the original, avoiding both the flatness or awkwardness or the more ‘literal’ translations and the looser ones that tend to expand or riff on the original.” Wilson’s new collection just might be the gateway drug—lotus?—that’ll keep readers blissfully ensconced in the ancient world. In Athens and Sparta: The

Rivalry That Shaped Ancient Greece (Basic Books, May 12), historian Adrian Goldsworthy begins, according to our starred review, “with the beginning, with Crete and Mycenae, with palace powers and then, with Homeric memories of war and heroism,” adding: “There are moments when we may as well be reading of our own time as theirs: ‘Frightened people can readily turn to savagery.’” In Sparta: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Superpower (Norton, May 19), Andrew Bayliss offers a stinging portrait of the warring Greek city-state, writing, “The only freedom the Spartans were interested in was their own— and particularly the freedom to treat anyone they thought beneath them as they pleased.” That included, the author writes, “feeding off the forced

labour of their helots,” or enslaved people. For those who want to learn about parallels between the decline of ancient civilizations and our own contentious times, there is Thomas F. Madden’s The Fall of Republics: A History From Ancient Carthage to the American Constitution (Princeton Univ., June 9). Having read about the collapse of ancient Sparta, the Roman Republic, and Carthage, America’s Founding Fathers conceived of a separation of powers—a safeguard to keep tyranny at bay, Madden observes. “In every way,” he writes, “the Founders’ experiment has outperformed the Roman Republic. Although the U.S. Constitution strains under the weight of hyper-­partisanship, it remains remarkably strong and secure.” John McMurtrie is the nonfiction editor. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Illustration by Eric Scot t Ander son

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

NONFICTION

EDITOR’S PICK Unearthing an ordinary life. One day when he was a boy, Murakami and his father brought their family cat to a beach, intending to leave her there. Although he didn’t know why the cat had to be abandoned, he accepted the sad fact, left the cat, and, with his father, bicycled home. To their surprise, the cat had somehow found its way back before them and greeted them happily. It stayed, and both father and son felt much relieved. So begins Murakami’s tender memoir of his father, translated by Gabriel and illustrated by Shimizu. Murakami had left home at 18, and, as he focused on his writing career and his own family, he and his father

These Titles Earned the Kirkus Star

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became estranged. Now, probing questions that for so long remained unanswered, Murakami sought to understand a man who seemed mysterious to him. Born in 1917, his father was training to become a priest when he was drafted and sent to the “bloody front” in mainland China. He rarely spoke of his experiences, except to tell his son about one traumatic incident when he had to execute a Chinese soldier by beheading. After a year as a soldier, he returned to school, began to write haiku, and went on to study literature at the prestigious Kyoto Imperial University. Drafted again in 1941, he was suddenly released within months, spared the fate of

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The Wiregrass By Matt Kessler Early Man Was a Woman By Ulli Lust; trans. by Elisabeth Lauffer

Abandoning a Cat: A Personal Story Murakami, Haruki; translated by Philip Gabriel; illustrated by Yuko Shimizu | Knopf | 80 pp. $26 | October 20, 2026 | 9798217208692

his regiment, which was massacred. In June 1945, he was again drafted; two months later, the war ended. Soon, marriage and a child diverted him from scholarship to high school teaching. His father, Murakami discovered,

Reds By Paul Mason Broadway in Black and White By John Mauceri & John H. McWhorter with Michael Gildin

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Abandoning a Cat By Haruki Murakami; trans. by Philip Gabriel; illus. by Yuko Shimizu

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Work in Progress By Devon Rodriguez

was an ordinary man buffeted by violence and conflict, capricious forces that resulted in another life: his own— “a single, unsparing reality born from countless possibilities.” A gentle meditation on the fragility of being.

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Savior and Seducer By Thaddeus Russell

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Edward Hopper By Louis Shadwick

Thinking From Black By the Practicing Refusal Collective Ed. by Tina M. Campt et al.

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The Book of Genocides By Dana Mashoian Walrath

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NONFICTION

“At eighty-eight, I’ d like to see the end of this ruthless regime before I get out of here.” GET IT DONE

Fugitive Archives: My Family and the American Myth of Belonging Angel-Ajani, Asale | Algonquin (288 pp.) $29 | October 6, 2026 | 9781643753188

An academic looks to history to make sense of her abusive childhood. Angel-Ajani and her twin sister, Elle, were born to a working-class white mother and a Black father “who fought demons.” While they were still babies, their father was incarcerated, leaving the twins in the care of her mother, who was deeply ambivalent about her relationship with the children. One of the author’s earliest memories is her mother’s failed attempt to put the twins up for private adoption, followed by long stretches of pawning the girls off on family members for long stretches of time while raising their white half-siblings. Angel-Ajani writes, “My twin sister and I, the only Black children of my mother, were the disposable children, the ones to get rid of when a job was lost, when a new man came into the picture, or when she was just tired of having so many children underfoot.” The author believes much of this attitude was inherited. For example, her grandfather burned a cross on his ex-wife’s lawn when she married a Black man and disowned the author’s mother for doing the same. She writes of her Black grandfather, Bill, “whose quiet dignity in the face of his mother-in-law—my great-grandmother Maude, with her proud stories of the family’s Klan membership— was a lesson in survival calculus I am still deciphering.” The author contextualizes her family story within the history of 42

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American race relations—not to understand her lineage, but, in her words, “to find the source that fed my rage and kept me up at night, fighting demons in my nightmares.” This lyrically written and well-researched memoir is infused with passion and vulnerability. Although the book’s central thesis at times feels slippery and hard to define, this is, overall, a heart-rending read. A trenchant meditation on race, rejection, and rage.

Get It Done: Seven Decades of Lessons From a Political Legend Barnes, Ben with David Ritz | Grand Central Publishing (288 pp.) | $30 | July 14, 2026 9781538778135

A rootin’-tootin’ life in politics, Texas-style. Barnes is the real deal, the child of hardscrabble farmers who had him milking the cows at 6 years old—the source of the exhortation that is his book’s title. Years of that work convinced him that he didn’t really want to milk cows any more, and so he took the bull by the horns and ran for state legislature. “I was twenty-one. I had no money. No political connections. No resume. No accomplishments to tout. What was I thinking?” he writes. To everyone’s surprise, he won. To his own surprise, a few years later, at 26, he became the youngest speaker of the house in state history then took office as lieutenant governor. That was a different Texas, though, blue as a bluebonnet, when the likes of Ann Richards, Lyndon Johnson, and Sam Rayburn held sway. It

was also a Texas where party politics hadn’t frozen the process, where Barnes could, for instance, enlist Ross Perot to get Medicare passed and a system for it put in place—after which Perot made a fortune selling his software to other states. Barnes even has a few good words to say about Richard Nixon, whom Rayburn had characterized as evil: “If he’s elected, he’ll destroy the presidency.” Barnes has no gentle feelings about the current occupant of the White House, writing, “at eighty-eight, I’d like to see the end of this ruthless regime before I get out of here.” Stuffed with cameo characters from John Wayne to Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Ted Kennedy, Barnes’ generally good-­natured narrative is full of pointers in practical politics and suggested reforms: institute nonpartisan primaries, which “would dilute the power of a Trumpian figure”; establish term limits; retire Supreme Court justices at 75; and more. A primer in an old-school politics that accomplished much.

The Elections That Changed the World: Fifteen Pivotal Moments That Shaped How We Live Bash, Dana with David Fisher Hanover Square Press (320 pp.) | $32 September 22, 2026 | 9781335002174

Survey of 15 episodes in electoral history, from ancient Rome to the near-present. CNN anchor Bash and prolific writer Fisher join forces for a second time, this time to examine moments in political history that have continued influence today. One, for instance, was the election of Thomas Jefferson as president following a vitriolic campaign against incumbent John Adams and the ensuing peaceful transfer of power: “Later in American history this handover would become routine, normal, mundane, but at this moment there were serious concerns that it might not happen.” Jefferson’s unilateral acquisition of the Louisiana K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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Purchase also “supported the concept that the president had implied powers…not specifically granted by the Constitution,” powers that presidents have run with ever since. The then-new experiment in republicanism, by the authors’ account, was founded in some measure on the Mayflower Compact, which enshrined the right to vote—if, that is, you were a white male over 21—and the concept of self-government. As Bash and Fisher note, democratic institutions had existed in America well before the arrival of the Mayflower (which, they note in passing, was bound for Virginia but blown off course to Massachusetts); they call the sophisticated structure of the Iroquois Confederacy “rudimentary.” The authors’ narrative is a bit of a hodgepodge. Their opening account of the life and death of Julius Caesar seems offhand, its legacy including enough pretended democracy that Romans could “at least feel they had a voice in their government”—a wan assessment. Still, they assemble some interesting tidbits, such as the fact that in the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln, 81.2 percent of the electorate turned out and that Mikhail Gorbachev’s travels abroad prompted his later reforms of an ossified Soviet Union. Of value more for its small details than its larger narrative.

Just a Shot Away: Martin Scorsese’s Life in Film Binelli, Mark | Metropolitan/Henry Holt (544 pp.) | $35.99 | November 3, 2026 9781250905130

Delving into the Oscar-winning director’s life, work, and tormented psyche. Martin Scorsese’s life has not infrequently resembled a Martin Scorsese movie. Born in 1942, he grew up in Manhattan in the Little Italy of the wiseguys who would feature in Mean Streets (1973) and Goodfellas (1990). His drug-fueled misadventures approximated those that played out in The Wolf of Wall Street K IR KU S R E V IE W S

(2013). Nick Nolte embodied Scorsese’s romantic caddishness in “Life Lessons,” the director’s contribution to the anthology film New York Stories (1989). And during his most psychologically unstable patches, Scorsese’s headspace recalled Travis Bickle’s interior doomscape in Taxi Driver (1976). In Binelli’s telling, most of Scorsese’s personal problems were own-goals. The doggedly researched accounting by the author and contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine is wry, the quips and dish plentiful; pertinent remarks by gossip columnists carry the same weight as quotes from venerated film critics. Binelli calibrates his prose to match the Marty of the moment (“Marty, the functioning cokehead!”; “A Hollywood bachelor pad!”). Gratifyingly, the author’s conspicuous reverence for “our greatest living filmmaker” doesn’t prevent him from recognizing when the director misses the mark (on 2002’s Gangs of New York: Scorsese “told the Times it could be an American Satyricon, which sounds much more interesting than the version he eventually made”). Forewarning to completists: Binelli reduces Scorsese’s doings following the triumph of Goodfellas to an eight-page coda. Those who want to read about Marty the cuddly Fran Lebowitz tagalong will have to hope for another installment from Binelli. The director and the reading public should be so lucky. A biography no less superb for being incomplete.

Take My Word for It: A Memoir Burton, LeVar with Tracey Michae’l LewisGiggetts | Random House (352 pp.) | $32 November 10, 2026 | 9798217198276

An actor’s most challenging role: himself. Award-­winning actor, director, and television host Burton, assisted by Lewis-­ Giggetts, offers a disarmingly candid memoir of a lifelong project

of personal growth. Born in 1957 in West Germany, where his father was stationed in the military, Burton grew up in Sacramento, California, encouraged and guided by an older sister and his strong, determined mother. His father was absent from the family after his parents’ marriage broke down. Intending to become a priest, Burton was drawn instead to the “magic” of acting. While a student in University of Southern California theater program, he got the part of Kunta Kinte in Roots (1977). Playing Kunta, he writes, changed his relationship to Blackness—and to celebrity: He became a “cultural symbol overnight.” After the series ended, he found himself in professional doldrums until he was tapped to host PBS’ Reading Rainbow. He saw the role as a great opportunity: “a chance to light the sparks of curiosity and wonder in a child and fan those sparks into flame. In short, to liberate.” Playing Geordi La Forge, the blind savant on Star Trek: The Next Generation was liberating, too: Geordi represented a Black man in the future, “in a world where race was no longer perceived as a limitation.” Burton reflects on the “sting of racism” that blights the entertainment industry, but it was not racism, but rather mental illness, that threatened to undo him: bipolar disorder, diagnosed late, and leading, at one point, to a psychotic breakdown. Throughout his revealing memoir, Burton expresses gratitude to the “constellation of ancestors and elders” whose sacrifices buoyed him through challenges and trials and who have led him to a life of service, art, and purpose. A forthright chronicle of self-discovery.

For more by LeVar Burton, visit Kirkus online.

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Kolkhoz Carrère, Emmanuel | Trans. by John Lambert Farrar, Straus and Giroux (416 pp.) | $30 October 13, 2026 | 9780374621872

French novelist, memoirist, and filmmaker Carrère explores the twisting branches of his family tree. Carrère was born into wealth and considerable influence, the last provided by his mother, a member of the Académie Française, her funeral eulogy delivered by the French president. Carrère recalls Emmanuel Macron’s words: “All the rivers of Europe between the Volga and the Rhine flowed in our mother’s blood, he says.” The president enumerates members of the Russian and Baltic nobility, a translator of George Sand, “and at least one regicide,” to say nothing of her Nazi-collaborator father. A specialist in Russia, Carrère’s mother left behind a huge library and revealing archive. So did his father, built not on geopolitical scholarship but on genealogy on both sides of the family— his dossiers turn up plenty of fantastic stories from places such as their ancestral Georgia, its history illustrated by the likes of “a sort of General Custer sent by Catherine II to liberate Christians captured by the mountain people” and a great-great-­grandfather who held the distinction of importing the very first shower in the country as well as being a pal of Karl Marx’s. Naturally, in a small country, those ancestors would likely have encountered and did encounter “a shady and brutal figure from the underworld,” a thug on the way to becoming Joseph Stalin. Maman grew up in a multilingual émigré household, Papa in a Parisian home “where his parents had come to live without exchanging so much as a word, communicating through their alcoholic Basque maid and small pieces of paper folded in four.” It’s as if P.G. Wodehouse collided with Marcel Proust, with some Gogol for good measure—or, as a friend says, “You read Tolstoy in your family and it’s bonjour, War of the Roses.” Affection and wisdom overflow in these 44

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pages, which have plenty of drama, as well, in relating a family’s survival in tumultuous times.

An elegant blend of personal, familial, and universal history.

Susie Cave, Nick | Photos by Dominique Issermann Thames & Hudson (192 pp.) | $45 September 16, 2026 | 9780500029855

A photography book centered on the English wife of Australian musician Nick Cave and the couple’s children. “This was the first photograph I ever saw of Susie. It hung in the bedroom of her little flat in Maida Vale in London, and I fell in love with it. Of course, I also fell in love with Susie herself, and thirty years later we are still as devoted to each other as two people can be.” That’s Nick Cave at the jump, setting the terms of this book: The black-and-white images by Issermann, a French fashion photographer and longtime friend of the Caves, are meant to make readers fall a little in love with Susie, too. Here she is, a silhouette on the beach, posing for Issermann in Normandy in 1990; here’s Susie in Rome in 1996, under a long black veil. Susie, too, chimes in, writing that she and Nick married in 1999 and had twin sons the following year. The ensuing photos often include the twins—Nick’s hands are shown drawing with pen on a child’s hand; there’s a blurry close-up of mother and son—and the book transforms into a family album. (A photo index clarifies that the family pictures were taken at an Italian estate in 2008.) Readers may note that only one child is spoken of in the present tense, suggesting what isn’t stated outright: One of the Cave twins has since died. That so few of the family pictures feature crisply focused faces plays like an effort to avert the pain of confronting loss head-on. It’s through no shortcoming of Issermann’s starkly beautiful images that

readers can’t possibly find Susie as captivating as her husband does; the book is more successful—immensely so—as a grief album made heartbreakingly public. A shattering family grief album.

Pop Surf Culture: Music, Design, Film and Fashion From the Bohemian Surf Era Chidester, Brian & Domenic Priore Fantagraphics (372 pp.) | $59.99 October 27, 2026 | 9798875002311

A detailed and visually arresting treatment of a Hawaiian tradition that migrated to Southern California and then the world. This lavishly illustrated book documents surf culture’s remarkable reach, especially in the 1960s. Long before that, Mark Twain, Jack London, and other travelers wrote about the surfing they witnessed in Hawaii. Discouraged by missionaries and colonizers, that longstanding tradition was revived in the 20th century by the Waikiki Beachboys, who taught surfing and played Hawaiian music for visitors. One of them, Duke Kahanamoku, became a surf legend, landed five Olympic medals in swimming, and served as an unofficial ambassador for Hawaiian culture. After the Second World War, surfboard makers began experimenting with foams, plywood, balsa, and fiberglass to create shorter, lighter boards. As Southern California youths adopted the sport in significant numbers, it also became an international cultural phenomenon with bohemian overtones. Pop surf culture left its mark on design, fashion, films, television, magazines, and advertising. It was, the authors note, “an international subculture, with a media all its own.” Many baby boomers will remember the Beach Boys, Gidget, Endless Summer, and Elvis Presley’s beach films. Fewer will recall that Bo Diddley released two surf albums on Chess Records; that Raquel K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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Welch played a college professor and beach goddess in A Swingin’ Summer (1965); or that Stevie Wonder and James Brown appeared in the Beach Party film franchise of the mid-1960s. Even aficionados may not know that Rick Griffin, the psychedelic poster artist who also lettered Rolling Stone magazine’s logo and Neil Young’s On the Beach album (1973), began his career as an illustrator at Surfer magazine. The authors also map surfers’ points of contact with other youthful cohorts, most notably the Beats, hippies, mods, punks, and skaters. Their account is not entirely celebratory. They claim, for example, that the Beach Party films “represented the subculture at its most plasticized and exaggerated.” But their meticulous attention to that subculture’s output, including its ephemera, reveals their overall view of its value. The definitive treatment of a remarkable subculture.

Freedom’s Gate: Maya Angelou, Lorraine Hansberry, Abbey Lincoln, Miriam Makeba, and Nina Simone Live at the New York Nightclub That Shaped the Civil Rights Movement Colbert, Soyica Diggs | Norton (368 pp.) $35 | October 13, 2026 | 9781324086642

Activism flourished in a storied nightclub. Colbert, a scholar at Georgetown University and author of Radical Vision: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry (2021), takes a fresh perspective on Black history by focusing on the Village Gate, which became a center for Black activism and the arts in the decade after it opened in 1959. Located in Greenwich Village, at the other end of Manhattan from the heady cultural scene in Harlem, the club served as a “hub and oasis” for Black artists, among them five women whose lives Colbert foregrounds: Maya K IR KU S R E V IE W S

The club that was “a way station for revolutionary performances of protest and reprieve.” F R E E D O M ’ S G AT E

Angelou, Hansberry, Abbey Lincoln, Miriam Makeba, and Nina Simone. By 1959, each had launched her career: Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, the first play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway, had been roundly acclaimed. Simone’s recording of “I Loves You Porgy” landed on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Makeba appeared on The Steve Allen Show. Angelou, then a dancer, was in the cast of Porgy and Bess. Lincoln was a popular nightclub singer and actress. Colbert recounts their meetings and collaborations, reflecting their growing consciousness of global connections between the American Civil Rights Movement and Africans’ struggles for self-determination and the need for the expansion of civil rights to women. In 1961, Lincoln, Angelou, and others formed the Cultural Association for Women of African Heritage. Their political activism informed their art, with the Gate serving as “a way station for revolutionary performances of protest and reprieve.” Colbert looks at their relationships with prominent activists in the U.S. and abroad; their personal trials and, for some, serious health problems; and their increasing sense of urgency about addressing racism. The art they produced at the Gate, Colbert shows, stands “as a testament of how to survive” in a hostile world. An engaging, well-researched group biography.

For more on Black history, visit Kirkus online.

Babe: Elaboratio: A Tribute to My Mother Connick, Jr., Harry | Harper Celebrate (224 pp.) $28.99 | September 29, 2026 | 1400258375

A musician pays loving tribute to his late mother. Singer and pianist Connick couldn’t quite find the right word to describe his “special place that exists between reality and dreams where I go when I make art,” so he invented one: “elaboratio.” He defines it in part as “a deeply personal state where I look forward to the past, draw from the future, and create within the present.” He admits that his mother, Anita-Francis Livingston “Babe” Connick, the subject of this book, who died when he was 13, would have “burst out laughing” at the word—“such a gratuitous flex.” His book is meant to accompany a piece of music he wrote for big band and orchestra, the story of her life in three parts: her childhood in New York; the time she spent overseas in Turkey and North Africa; and her final years in New Orleans, where Connick was raised. He imagines himself as an observer of his mother in the years before he was born, including on his parents’ wedding day: “I was sitting in the back of a small Baptist chapel when I heard them come in. I don’t remember how I got there. Elaboratio World has grown increasingly fuzzy.” He explains how his piece of music represents his mother’s life, measure by measure, going into detail about his composing process. Even readers who aren’t schooled in the intricacies of instrumental music will be able to follow along easily. Connick is refreshingly open about his memories, SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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writing, “I carry her with me every day. The love we had for each other will last me my entire life.” The result is a sweet, singular work that is both a fascinating look inside the mind of a composer and a valentine to the woman who raised him. A son’s tender song from the heart.

The Last Best Place on the Internet: A Human History of Wikipedia Cooke, Richard | Norton (320 pp.) | $29.99 October 13, 2026 | 9780393881882

Building—­ and sustaining— ­a preeminent collection of knowledge. This smart appraisal of Wikipedia’s first quarter-century offers insightful commentary on its scope, significance, and inner workings, but it may prove most useful as a warning about the forces threatening it. Before it was ubiquitous, the Australian author notes in a finegrained look at its early days, Wikipedia was weird. For a time, 13 percent of its articles were about Ayn Rand’s libertarian novel Atlas Shrugged. Educators sneered at the amateur-edited encyclopedia, but its growing number of “high-quality articles” and commitment to transparency helped forge “a lasting truce.” Today, edited by countless volunteers, Cooke characterizes it as the biggest feat of “collective cultural creation” ever mounted. He is cleareyed, noting that Wikipedia’s fact-verification process foregrounds North American and European sources, giving short shrift to other parts of the world. Wikipedia has been weaponized and exploited by bad actors, and it has a “women problem,” though his explanation for why most of its editors are men includes weak generalizations. More productively, Cooke notes that for those who are neurodivergent or “undervalued,” Wikipedia can be “a place to showcase abilities that were hidden.” An informative chapter on the history of internet wikis supports Cooke’s strongest 46

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argument: As artificial intelligence grows, it is urgent to understand how Wikipedia’s processes—the “close scrutiny and care” of human editors—are inextricably linked to its value. He worries that AI, hoovering up Wikipedia’s contents, may send it to the scrap heap. Readership has recently declined, and “the click-through rate to Wikipedia from AI chatbots” is far lower than that for Google. “For a model whose lifeblood was readers becoming editors, it was a disaster.” His judicious reporting belongs in the growing library of titles about the perils of AI. A winning work of cultural criticism.

My Monstrous Family Cookbook Daniels, Ji | Unsolicited Press (284 pp.) | $22.95 paper | November 24, 2026 | 9781969421112

A very unusual cookbook, with recipes wrapped in passionate personal essays. The simplest thing that can be said about Daniels’ sometimes enchanting, sometimes unsettling hybrid collection is that the recipes look excellent. From there, things get significantly more baroque. The dishes are arranged in the reverse of the usual order, starting with desserts and proceeding through starters and first courses. They are presented first in prose chapters with interesting and often amusing names, like “Failure Pavlova,” “Seeing God in Coconut Lime Rice,” “Trying To Justify Our Peking Duck Poutine,” and “Don’t Be Fooled by This Leek Tart”; then, at the back of the book, listed a second time in classic recipe format. The tone of the essays is, from the first pages, intensely personal, verging on uncomfortable. “[D]essert for me is pure

gluttony and indulgence to the point of self-harm,” the author explains in the first chapter, warning that what follows will be sexually explicit, suggesting to those who might not want to read about “pornography and sex and masturbation and failure” that they skip it entirely. To the rest, “welcome perverts.” Both the food writing and the personal storytelling are feverish in their intensity, bolstered by the choice to refer to every character mentioned by the name of a god or monster: his mother Yog Sothoth, the Keeper of The Gates; his father the Minotaur; various friends and lovers Ceres, Wotan, Janus, Persephone, and other less well-known deities. The reader is often addressed: “I am asking you for trust…You should never have picked up this book in the first place.” At times, you may be tempted to agree. Other times, you will feel you can put up with it because you have never seen a better recipe for deviled eggs. “Here is my body. myself, my story. I hope that you like it.” Now measure the salt. Equal parts unnerving and appetizing, thoroughly blended.

42 Tales From Life: A Modern Bestiary Dawkins, Richard | Yale Univ. (368 pp.) | $35 October 20, 2026 | 9780300303797

A leading evolutionist romps through nature’s diversity. Dawkins, one of evolution’s most eloquent explainers (The God Delusion, 2006, etc.) offers here a quirky “Darwinian bestiary.” Planned as a sequel to The Ancestor’s Tale (2004), the volume offers a gallery of self-consciously meandering meditations on all manner

Will AI, hoovering up content, send Wikipedia to the scrap heap? THE LAST BEST PLACE ON THE INTERNET

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of living things, from sponges and slime molds to bats and hummingbirds. Superficially focused on a series of related organisms and preceded by a gorgeous lithograph by 19th-century German evolutionist Ernst Haeckel, each tale takes wild leaps. Thus, the existence of a moth predicted by Darwin leads Dawkins to the discovery of Uranus by British astronomer John Couch Adams, which triggers the memory of a poem by John Keats that may have influenced Adams. What holds these tales together is the pleasure of watching their author’s capacious brain in action. “If digressions irritate you, you may find you are reading the wrong book,” he warns. The volume abounds in sparkling images: The lobster, for example, is compared to “a Swiss Army knife of useful appendages.” But nature invariably transcends such analogies. Characterizing pollination as akin to an online delivery service, Dawkins finds that flowers are more precise. Rejecting a division into “higher” and “lower” beings, he reminds us of the value of tiny unicellular organisms, such as the “adorable tardigrades,” which need no air or water to survive. Consider, too, the bats that switch off their hearing temporarily so as not to be deafened by their own shrieks. An avowed functionalist, Dawkins delights in arguments proffered by form-obsessed biological structuralists. Yet, in the end, everything in his universe remains subject to the exigencies of evolutionary survival: “You can hole up in an armoured shell,” like a tortoise, “or you can sprint away like an antelope. But don’t try to do both.” Dawkins believes the mechanisms he has described may also apply to life on other planets. Readers may take comfort in his suggestion that there’s one thing extraterrestrials likely don’t engage in: sex. A zany reverie about the power of Darwinian evolution.

For more by Richard Dawkins, visit Kirkus online.

We’ve Got a Bigger Problem Now: The Dead Kennedys Photographs Friedman, Glen E. | Akashic (108 pp.) | $37.50 November 17, 2026 | 9781636143231

Capturing punk agitators per­ forming in their early-’80s glory days. Historically, punk rock hasn’t been known for its nuance, which is why black-and-white photography has always seemed like the right medium for catching its practitioners in the act. Departing from that visual tradition is this offering, which is named for a Dead Kennedys song: It was the San Francisco band’s comment on the then-presidency of early American punk’s nemesis: Ronald Reagan. Friedman, the unofficial first photographer of the early U.S. punk scene—he has devoted a previous book to Black Flag and another to Minor Threat—explains in his introduction that to capture Dead Kennedys at five Los Angeles–area gigs that fell in 1980, 1981, and 1982, he used Kodachrome film left over from his job taking pictures for a skateboarding magazine. As it turns out, color suits Dead Kennedys just fine, perhaps because their fierceness was always leavened with cartoonishness. Here’s front man Jello Biafra offstage in rhinestoned cat-eye glasses and a yellow head wrap. Here’s the band looking right at home in a club’s bathroom, the red-and-black graffiti behind them like Sharpie wallpaper. The majority of Friedman’s photos catch Biafra mid-­performance—howling, crowd-­ surfing, sharing the mic with an audience member, or otherwise showing his love. One of the book’s finest moments finds Biafra lying prone at the edge of the stage, sticking his clownishly smiling mug right in Friedman’s lens, as if groveling for approval—or maybe for the photographer’s vote. Biafra’s ornery preface to the book should reassure fans that he hasn’t calmed down since he ran for mayor of San Francisco in 1979, the year the first Dead Kennedys single came out. Readers may leave this book hoping that Biafra is up for another run. A glorious, full-color punk-rock pie in the face.

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It’s All About the Players Gammons, Peter | Grand Central Publishing (368 pp.) | $32.50 | September 22, 2026 9781538777206

Stories from a half-century at the ballpark. Think of this genial, eclectic volume as an extended installment of Gammons’ beloved baseball notes column, the weekly compilation of scoops and sundries he began writing in the 1970s. Paeans to potent hitters, crafty pitchers, and scrappy utilitymen are mixed with analysis of broader trends, like the internationalization of Major League Baseball. Throughout, he scatters observations on pivotal games and glimpses of players’ idiosyncratic routines. His most productive throughline focuses on the increasing prominence of Latin American and Asian players, who boosted the sport’s global profile and suffered serial indignities. In the 1960s, mono­lingual sportswriters misquoted Spanish-­speaking players, Americanized their names, and labeled injured Latino stars “hypochondriacs.” It’s not news that the number of Latino players has surged in recent decades, but Gammons, who’s been making reporting trips abroad since the 1980s, chronicles exactly how this happened. It’s a vibrant story featuring a Cuban scout who survived the doomed Bay of Pigs invasion, the complex relationships between professional sports leagues and poorer nations, and, to some critics, the continued exploitation of teenage ballplayers. Gammons’ profile of Ichiro Suzuki is exemplary, a detailed look at the Japanese hitter’s exhausting practice schedule, singular plate approach, and an inadvertently comic effort to sign him. If Suzuki played in New York, the Mets told him, he could invest his money with Bernie Madoff, later revealed to be a con man. There are some slapdash passages. Gammons’ account of the causes of the 1994 player strike is incomplete, and many of his sentences could use streamlining. Though its impact is somewhat dulled by a SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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colleague’s inessential afterword, Gammons’ concluding chapter, a reflection on aging and gratitude, is humble and moving.

A celebrated baseball reporter’s warm, wide-ranging account of covering stars, controversies, and the game’s globalization.

Girlhood, Translated: Understanding Young Women in the Age of Therapy Speak and Self-Diagnosis Garfinkle-Crowell, Suzanne | Crown (368 pp.) $30 | September 8, 2026 | 9798217085736

A psychiatrist examines the rise of “therapy speak” among girls and young women and how it affects female adolescent identity. Until recently, adolescent girls seemed to have everything—from more physical comforts to more freedoms— that previous generations did not. Yet this same group has also seen a marked increase in mental health issues, like anxiety, and in the group’s use of what the author calls “therapy speak”: medicalized language that derives from psychiatry and psychology. The author sees the problem, which has emerged over the last decade, as twofold. Girls have become burdened by the “conflicts and contradictions” of living in a complex, tech-driven, social-media saturated world. They have also been immersed in a culture that, along with greater comforts and freedoms, handed them a ready-made psychoanalytic vocabulary. Garfinkle-Crowell demonstrates her point by telling stories about some of the

many bright, engaging adolescent females—and concerned but often tunnel-visioned parents—she has treated. One, Violet, came to her with self-diagnosed OCD, depression, and ADHD but was unable to understand how those diagnoses hid feelings of vulnerability and isolation she could not articulate. Another, Sloane, did not understand that her apparent ADHD masked an “inner terror” of not being lovable. What the author says will ultimately help is de-emphasizing the power of medical pronouncements and pushing girls to find language that fosters “resilience and health.” For it is only by doing the messy, difficult work of finding words to make sense of “feelings and symptoms” that they can transcend fragmentation as well as the empty lure of clichés and move toward personal wholeness. Readable and insightful, the book offers much-needed guidance on how girls can move from misunderstood objects to empowered subjects of their own narratives. A smart, compassionate study of the dangers “therapy speak” poses to youths still learning to articulate their inner worlds.

This Is What Happens When Women Read Glasse, Julianna | Spiegel & Grau (304 pp.) $29 | October 13, 2026 | 9781966302346

The making of an emancipated woman. Glasse was a famous Christian pop singer, a wife of 13 years, and mother of three when she began having doubts about the biblical teachings that guided

Transforming from submissive wife to “unwieldy, untethered, dangerous” woman.

her life. Raised in a strict Evangelical Christian family and homeschooled, she married at 18 a Christian man whom she promised to obey. Together, they ministered to his Chicago Cubs teammates: he to the men, she to the wives who studied “Christian womanhood, submission, and male leadership.” The classes made her uncomfortably aware of the sharp division between the “roles, responsibilities, and rights” of men and women, and she became increasingly confused. In her engrossing debut, Glasse recounts her painful transformation from submissive wife to “unwieldy, untethered, dangerous” woman, spurred in large measure by reading proscribed books: Plato, Jung, Freud, and other “subversives,” such as Simone de Beauvoir, Walt Whitman, Rumi, and Marcus Aurelius. (An annotated book list appends the memoir.) Glasse discovered, too, a lively, underground community of Christian women who quietly defied church strictures by meeting for cocktails and camaraderie. Guided by her readings, she began questioning “the culture of rape, oppression abuse, shame, and guilt that pervades the church, and that blames women for the violence perpetrated against them.” When her husband discovered her clandestine project, he forbade it; they tried counseling, but the marriage unraveled. Determined to be a woman “who owns her life, a woman who imagines, creates, and does not apologize for the life she builds for herself,” she dived into reinventing herself. She earned a business degree from Oxford and established a foundation in partnership with the university, This Is What Happens When Women Read, to address the “shame, fear, isolation, and psychological manipulation” that oppress women across cultures. An inspiring chronicle of self-affirmation.

For more memoirs, visit Kirkus online.

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Nineteen Days in Autumn: A New History of 1066 Goeres, Erin | St. Martin’s (320 pp.) $30 | January 5, 2027 | 9781250470324

A wide-ranging tour of the many characters, issues, and years leading up to the Norman Conquest. An associate professor of Scandinavian studies at University of California, Los Angeles, the author offers an intriguing perspective on the Norman invasion of 1066. As she puts it, “For much of the early medieval period, the people of England, Normandy and Scandinavia had a shared history, culture and language. It was because of—not despite—this shared history that they came into conflict in 1066.” For many readers, this claim will indeed be new. The rest of the book does not live up to the promises in its title, however. The author asserts that “This book tells the story of those nineteen days” between Stamford Bridge and Hastings, but it is only technically true. That story, told with intermittent detail and analysis, ends the book. Rather, the book recounts the decades leading up to those 19 days—interesting, yes, but not the same. Structurally, it offers a set of biographies of the major players followed by their collision in the final chapters, theoretically a sound strategy, but the narrative ping-pongs among people, places, and decades, often repeating itself. The writing is erratic, sometimes confident, but often trite. Perhaps most worryingly, the book stretches the definition of “history.” Well-researched, nevertheless a good percentage consists of imaginative narrative presented as historical account or self-acknowledged as unlikely at best. Similarly, not all unreliable sources are treated as such. Scattered original insights, most in the final two chapters, suggest that this could have been a very effective work. Includes helpful maps, a cast of characters, and genealogies.

A welcome perspective on familiar events but too unevenly written, fanciful, and disorganized to be rigorous history. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Medea: A Life Hall, Edith | Yale Univ. (256 pp.) | $28 September 8, 2026 | 9780300270723

A “biography” of the mythical, murderous sorceress. British classicist Hall draws on numerous ancient, mostly Greek sources to craft a colorful account of Medea’s life in five “acts.” “A Colchis Childhood” limns a clever, restless girl developing formidable supernatural powers and chafing under the limitations imposed by her domineering, misogynistic father. It’s lust at first sight when handsome Jason arrives, and “Escape on the Argo” details Medea’s intricate schemes to help him steal the golden fleece and their subsequent flight, capped by the murder of her brother and the tossing of his dismembered body from the ship to delay pursuers. Depicted by Hall as impulsive yet oddly passive and needy, Jason continues to rely on Medea’s plots and powers in “Trouble in Thessaly,” where she bears their two sons and lays plans to restore him to his father’s usurped throne; thanks to Jason’s ineptitude and betrayal by an ally, they are instead banished. “Crisis in Corinth” draws heavily on Euripides’ famous play to chronicle Jason’s decision to marry King Creon’s daughter and Medea’s horrific revenge—killing not only her rival and Creon but her two sons. Her magical abilities and gift for manipulating everyone around her gain her “Asylum in Athens,” where she displaces Aegeus’ queen and bears him a son, but it all goes south when she fails to poison his other son, Theseus, and is rejected by her own adored child. We last see Medea taking off “into the darkening sky” in a chariot drawn by flying serpents. Two final chapters trace “Medea’s Afterlives” in works of art and “Medea As Women’s Heroine.” Hall’s use of highly colloquial dialogue is somewhat jarring—she cites Euripides in justification—but her vivid characterizations, atmospheric scene-­ setting, and propulsive narrative pace will appeal to a general readership

beyond the market suggested by the imprint of a university press. Riveting portrait of a complex woman whose deeds defy easy moral judgments.

Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 4: The Age of Revolutions Harari, Yuval Noah | Illus. by David Vandermeulen & Daniel Casanave | Harper Perennial/HarperCollins (256 pp.) | $29.99 paper | November 3, 2026 | 9780063510517

A graphic adaptation of Harari’s 2015 deep-history masterwork concludes by carrying the human story from medieval times to the present and a little beyond. Though forced by a narrative more focused on broad trends and big ideas than specific events—portraying the author, his niece Zoe, and other inserted characters standing in historical settings or sitting in study halls or around cafe tables beneath heavy blocks of discourse—the book’s illustrator and colorist have done wonders to lighten the load. What better way, for instance, to encapsulate the modern impacts of science, capitalism, and empire-building than to have the Grim Reaper lying on a couch regaling a therapist with sharply falling child mortality statistics and complaining that the only ideology that gives death a central role any more is nationalism? Or to have Tweedledum and Tweedledee debate whether any revolutions have actually made people happier? Following the metaphorical same-sex coupling of costumed superhero “Scientifik” and “Lady Empire,” the discourse moves past a startling if unconvincing quiz pushing the notion that today’s liberals and conservatives are mostly on the same page, to a vision of a speculative near-future in which “nonorganic AIs” have superseded human mores, agendas, and paradigms with ineffable ones of their own. Readers of African descent will have difficulty >>> SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Lives of the Artists 4

For more booklists, visit Kirkus online.

5

1

1 Depraved

By Daisy Dixon

A nuanced, impassioned treatise on depraved art and its creators.

2 The Wonderful World That Almost Was By Andrew Durbin

Durbin’s excellent biography brings renewed attention to two creators whose works deserve a closer look.

2

4 Push the Wall By Frank Miller

Insight and encouragement from a contemporary comics heavyweight.

3 The World According to Henri Matisse

5 Vermeer’s Afterlives

An engaging, vibrant commemoration.

An authoritative, insightful work of art history.

By Louise Rogers Lalaurie

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3

By Ruth Bernard Yeazell

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IN THE NEWS

Jason Arday

The former professor had been accused of plagiarism. Author Jason Arday, who died in August after stepping down as a Cambridge University professor amid accusations of plagiarism, was the victim of a “racist feeding frenzy,” the university’s chancellor, Lord Chris Smith, said in a statement. Arday’s resignation came less than a week before the U.S. publication of his memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, which Kirkus called “a grueling account of academic success.” It recounts Arday’s childhood as an autistic boy who was nonverbal until age 11 and illiterate until 18; in adulthood he has battled epilepsy and depression, eventually earning a Ph.D. in sociology. In 2023, Arday was the youngest Black academic to be appointed a Cambridge professor; in

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July, he became the subject of a university investigation, after a Guardian report suggested that Arday may have plagiarized parts of his Ph.D. dissertation. Arday denied the claim. In an interview with the U.K. newspaper The Times, Arday said, “I am accountable for the mistakes I’ve made. I hold myself accountable and other people should hold me accountable. We’re talking about academia here. I didn’t murder somebody. I think the cruelty that I’ve experienced, and the positioning of me as this kind of liar and fantasist, is totally unacceptable.” In a letter, Arday said he was resigning from the position for his own well-being and that of his family. —M.S. For a review of Great and Unfortunate Things, visit Kirkus online.

Anselm Ebulue

Arday’s Death Followed ‘Racist Feeding Frenzy’

K IR KU S R E V IE W S

S E E N A N D H E A R D // N O N F I C T I O N

SEEN AND HEARD

New Book by Emily Ratajkowski in the Works The model and actor will explore dating as a single mom in Mother F*cker. Model and actor Emily Ratajkowski has sold her next book in a seven-­figure deal, Deadline reports. According to the magazine, Penguin Press acquired the book, titled Mother F*cker, after a bidding war. Ratajkowski first rose to fame after appearing in the 2013 music video for Robin Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell Williams’ “Blurred Lines”; the video was frequently criticized as misogynistic. Ratajkowski later appeared in films including Gone Girl, Entourage, and We Are Your Friends. Her most recent acting gig was in Lena Dunham and Luis Felber’s limited Netflix series, Too Much. In 2021, Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt, published Ratajkowski’s memoir, My Body. A critic for Kirkus called the book, which became a New

York Times bestseller, “refreshingly candid.” Mother F*cker, according to Deadline, will recount Ratajkowski’s experiences dating as a single mother. She wrote an essay with the same title that was published in The Cut. “ Even as a kid, I reasoned that of all the things I could grow up to be, it was crucial to avoid becoming a single mom,” she wrote in the piece. “The term itself could be lodged as an insult. Having a child with the wrong man was the fastest way to ruin your life as a woman—­ it meant having no freedom, no choices, no emergency exit. All baggage and no security.” There is no word on a publication date for Ratajkowski’s book. —M.S.

Gilber t Flores/ Variet y v ia Get t y Images

For a review of My Body, visit Kirkus online.

Emily Ratajkowski

K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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finding themselves or their forebears here, aside from brief mentions of the Atlantic slave trade as a great investment, and Asians and Indigenous Americans are even less visible. Still, debatable as Harari’s ingenuous assertion that humans have “conquered the world” may be, his suggestion that if our days as “irresponsible gods” are numbered, then it’s imperative to decide what we want to become—or, put another way, what we “want to want”—merits urgent consideration. Provocative and disarming—like the original.

You’ve Seen Me Before: Over 700 Roles and 70 Years in Hollywood (and Counting) Hong, James with Jeff Yang | Atria (272 pp.) $30 | September 22, 2026 | 9781668099308

A veteran actor looks back at his expansive career. The title of Hong’s book is no lie. Even if you’re a casual viewer of movies and television shows, you’re almost certainly familiar with his face (or, if animation is more your thing, his voice). The actor has appeared in films, including Chinatown (1974) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), and made memorable appearances on series, such as Seinfeld and The West Wing. “I left my mark all right—over seven hundred of them, credits for film and TV and stage and even video games, more than any other actor in history, by my count,” he writes. He recounts his childhood in Minneapolis and Hong Kong, the son of emotionally distant parents who fell in love with radio programs—“my friends and companions when I didn’t have any others.” He served a stint in the Army during the Korean War and moved to California with his comedy partner, Don Parker, where the two struggled to make it in Hollywood; Hong had his share of ups and downs, landing some roles, but he found himself struggling against racism in the 54

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entertainment industry. He includes amusing anecdotes about the stars of yore, most of which are positive. (One exception is Jane Wyman: “[L]et’s say that if Reagan had stayed married to her, I don’t think he would ever have become president.”) Where the memoir truly shines is in Hong’s account of co-­founding the theater group East West Players and the advocacy organization Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists (AAPAA), as well as his tributes to other Asian American actors whose careers were hampered by racism. This is a funny and thoughtful book that will interest anyone wanting to know more about the history of American film and television. A gem of a Hollywood memoir.

Charlie’s Boy: A Memoir Hughley, D.L. with Geoffrey Gray Mariner Books (304 pp.) | $30 October 6, 2026 | 9780063435438

A comedian examines his career and his troubled childhood. In this memoir, Hughley writes that he grew up an inquisitive child, but he paid a price for his questions. “Instead of answers, the slaps came quicker, sharper,” he writes of his mother. His relationship with his mother was understandably fraught, but he found solace in Charlie, whom Hughley later found was not his biological father but who raised him as a son: “He never hugged me,” Hughley recalls. “But he never hit me either. And maybe, in a neighborhood like ours, that counted for more than it should have.” Their neighborhood, in South Central Los Angeles, was a rough one, and Hughley joined the Bloods street gang as a boy—“It was just what you did.” He got into his share of sticky situations and was expelled from a series of high schools, but he eventually went straight, getting a job in the circulation department of The Los Angeles Times and marrying a coworker; he first found his way into comedy after cracking up patrons and employees of the

barbershop he frequented. He worked his way up the entertainment industry ladder, eventually starring in his own sitcom, The Hughleys, and forming one quarter of the “Original Kings of Comedy” alongside Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and Bernie Mac. Hughley writes about his experiences in the comedy world with some fondness but a dose of justified bitterness as well. He is remarkably honest about his own mistakes as a husband and a father still smarting from the abuse he received as a child. This is an unvarnished account, tough to read, and only very rarely funny, which is perhaps the point. A candid if messy attempt at a reckoning.

50 Movie Nights: Contemporary Stars on Their Favorite Classic Films Karger, Dave | Running Press (288 pp.) | $30 September 15, 2026 | 9798894142210

Indelible pictures. One of Laura Linney’s most prized possessions is, of all things, a hockey puck. It makes sense, though: The cherished object was used in the actor’s favorite film: Slap Shot, the 1977 comedy starring Paul Newman. “I can feel my youth in that movie,” she says. “I can feel being alive in the seventies as a young person living in New York.…Because this movie is written by a woman, which is really surprising, you see how crude and foul and offensive these men are, but then there’s always something that softens it.” Slap Shot is one of the 50 movies featured in this spunky collection of favorite films of the 20th century, as chosen by “contemporary stars.” Karger, the author of 50 Oscar Nights (2024) and a host on Turner Classic Movies, interviewed mostly actors and directors for the book. A notable exception is Anderson Cooper, whose favorite film is Apocalypse Now (1979); the television journalist saw Francis Ford Coppola’s war drama when he was 12 or 13: “It’s going to sound weird, it wasn’t aspirational—but it was like, ‘I want to be in K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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“His life’s work is more relevant and more complex when imagined as cinema.” ANTHONY BOURDAIN, FILMMAKER

that. I want to be going up the river in that boat with that group and seeing those things and experiencing those things.’” One of the pleasures of the book is learning how movies had similar impacts on other young minds. Director Ava DuVernay praises Carl Franklin’s neo-noir Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) for capturing a Black Los Angeles that she hadn’t seen depicted on screen. Don Cheadle first saw Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers (1966) as a college student at Cal Arts; the realism of it is felt in the actor’s performance in Hotel Rwanda (2004). Some of the choices are classics (Kathryn Hahn on It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946), others are cult favorites (Paul Rudd on Withnail & I, 1987), and a few are little known (Wes Anderson on The Tall Target, 1951). All will have you reaching for the popcorn. Lively insights into memorable movies.

Anthony Bourdain, Filmmaker Kennedy, Todd | Wayne State Univ. Press (316 pp.) | $29.99 paper | October 20, 2026 9780814352922

An academic makes the case for Anthony Bourdain as a great Amer­ ican filmmaker. In 2018, Kennedy, a professor at Nicholls State University in Louisiana, was living in Spain with his wife and their 6-yearold son when he heard the news that Bourdain had killed himself in France. Kennedy was baffled by his “sense of impenetrable loss.” He figured out he had this reaction because Bourdain was a unique figure who “merged, K IR KU S R E V IE W S

almost seamlessly, a myriad of lenses—­ filmic, culinary, artistic, literary, musical, political, historical—into a unified, articulate argument.” With this book, Kennedy explores the way Bourdain developed “a style of documentary filmmaking that actively defies and rewrites the rules not only of television genre, but of the medium in general.” His goal “is to suggest Anthony Bourdain is best understood as a filmmaker, and that his life’s work is more relevant and more complex when imagined as cinema.” Kennedy investigates the influence earlier directors had on such Bourdain shows as No Reservations and Parts Unknown, especially Werner Herzog, “one of his narrative film heroes.” He describes the varied cinematography in Bourdain’s shows, borrowing from such classics as Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life and the works of Wong Kar Wai. From there, the author shows how Bourdain deconstructed such genres as the travelogue, in which he used examples of high and low art, from Gauguin paintings to Bond films, “to create a dialectic on the costs of tourist culture”; personal cinema; political documentaries; and food films. The book concludes with a close analysis of episodes of Parts Unknown from six locales: Hong Kong, Montana, Rome, West Virginia, San Sebastián, and Bhutan—each one borrowing the visual style made famous by other directors. Whether exceptionally well-made homages constitute cinematic genius in their own right is up to each reader. There’s no denying, however, the popularity and sophistication of Bourdain’s output. His fans will savor the reminders of his achievement and feel sadness anew at his loss. A unique perspective on Bourdain’s accomplishments.

Kirkus Star

The Wiregrass: A Tale of Murder and Retribution in the Deep South Kessler, Matt | Grand Central Publishing (320 pp.) $32.50 | October 6, 2026 | 9781538773635

An immersive look at the 1999 murders of two teenage girls in rural Alabama. In his first book, journalist Kessler, whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, takes a complex dive into a double murder that shocked its Deep South community and the nation. J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were two 17-yearold high school students from Dothan, Alabama, who were found dead by gunshot in the trunk of Beasley’s car on Aug. 1, 1999. The case remained unsolved for 14 years until a truck driver, Coley McCraney, was convicted of the crime in 2023. Kessler, a meticulous researcher, approaches the story sideways, not head on, opening the book in 2015, when three cows owned by a rancher named John Carroll are poisoned in apparent retaliation for a website Carroll ran, a kind of “WikiLeaks for Wiregrass,” exposing the community’s deep mistrust of its police force, which had dealt drugs, been violent, and pursued local teenage girls for decades. Kessler traces this mistrust back further, to a region with a legacy of racial violence, noting a 1950 lynching that was ruled a suicide. Kessler gives us a nuanced understanding of the region, a “historically poor,” agrarian corner of the Bible Belt known for its “bad soil,” tracing how poverty and isolation shaped both the crime and its long unraveling. The book lingers closely on the lives of those affected, including Patti Simpson, Beasley’s legal guardian, and Jeanette McCraney, the wife of the man now serving life without parole for a double murder he says he doesn’t remember. A meticulous, urgent account of a case officially closed, but far from settled. SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Boiling Point: How America Brought War to Ukraine Kinzer, Stephen | Henry Holt (384 pp.) | $32.99 November 3, 2026 | 9781250413086

American intervention didn’t start the current war in Ukraine, but it certainly didn’t help. Of Ukraine, writes Kinzer, “few places on earth have been the target of American covert and political action for as long.” U.S. machinations on the ground there date as far back as the Stalin era. A longtime student of foreign policy and global history, Kinzer lays out a syllogism of sorts: “The Soviet Union is America’s mortal enemy; its greatest internal threat comes from Ukraine; the CIA should do everything possibly to intensify that threat.” One early Cold War campaign inserted guerrilla bands that included veterans of the Ukrainian SS, who had massacred much of the country’s Jewish population in World War II; as one CIA agent commented, “It was a visceral business of using any bastard as long as he was anti-­Communist.” The Soviets easily dispatched these invaders, but that didn’t deter American intelligence analysts and handlers, who had nearly unlimited funds (5 percent of the Marshall Plan’s billions of dollars were diverted to them) and no shortage of ideas. That the Soviets routinely and thoroughly infiltrated other CIA paramilitary and espionage networks—including one founded by Hitler’s intelligence chief for Eastern Europe—seems not to have troubled Allen Dulles and company. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kinzer writes, President Clinton pressed for three of Ukraine’s neighbors—Poland, what was then the Czech Republic, and Hungary—to be admitted to NATO, a prospect he held out for Russia as well: “In his idealized vision, Russia would democratize, join the rest of Europe in accepting US hegemony, and live in permanent peace under America’s benevolent wing.” Later efforts to enroll Ukraine itself in NATO contributed, 56

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naturally, to Vladimir Putin’s certainty that the West was waging war on him. While not excusing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kinzer’s narrative does put the lie to the Biden administration’s assertion that it was “totally unprovoked.” A damning, well-argued case study in war by proxy.

We Want To Believe: How Aliens Went Mainstream and Why It Matters Kirsch, Adam | Columbia Global Reports (128 pp.) | $18 paper | August 25, 2026 9781967190164

Of UFOs, ETs, and needy conspiracy theories. Is there a starman waiting in the sky? American studies scholar and Atlantic contributor Kirsch says no, there’s not a shred of credible evidence that supports the existence of extraterrestrial visitors to Earth. Indeed, there’s scarcely any evidence of intelligent life of any sort out there. “But this has never stopped human beings from imagining alien beings and hoping to encounter them,” he writes. That impulse has been gathering force in recent years: Where polls in the last years of the past century showed that most Americans didn’t believe ETs were among us, something like 40 percent of Americans now do. Kirsch suggests numerous reasons for the growing certainty in the popular culture that UFOs and such are real. Some are more or less benign: Movies and novels have planted the seed for a long time. More troubling is the disdain a growing number of Americans show for expertise of any kind. Witness the recent phenomenon of Covid-19 denial: “It becomes easier to understand once we recognize a major driver of vaccine resistance is expertise resistance—refusal to listen to experts simply because they claim to be experts.” All this is not to say that life elsewhere in the cosmos isn’t possible; as Kirsch notes, astronomers have identified more than 5,000 exoplanets that in

theory could sustain life. But what sort of life? Perhaps microbial. And, perhaps, he suggests more darkly, we haven’t found life out there because that life, like that of Earthlings, comes with a warning label: “Any species powerful enough to escape its planet is powerful enough to destroy it.” For all that, yes, we want to believe—it fills some hole in the soul that seeks meaning more transcendent than the usual grind. A thoughtful essay in what the search for extraplanetary aliens tells us about ourselves.

Ebola, Bombs, and Migrants: Humanitarian Crises in a Security-Obsessed World Liu, Joanne with André Pratte | Trans. by Marisa Coulton | Arachnide/House of Anansi Press (208 pp.) | $20 paper | October 13, 2026 9781487014186

The former International President of Médecins sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) shares key takeaways from her years of leadership. Liu’s years at the top of the globally recognized NGO, as well as her time as a programs officer and an emergency physician, placed her on the front lines of the most significant recent humanitarian crises. Specifically, three headline-grabbing emergencies pushed her to evaluate and enforce the purpose of MSF and its relationship with government leaders and agendas: the 2014 spread of Ebola through West Africa, the 2015 bombing of a MSF hospital in Afghanistan, and the refugee crisis of the past decade. With scant personal details and just enough organizational history to grant a basic sense of MSF’s mission, structure, and internal tensions, she offers a frank assessment of some of her most prolific efforts and negotiations, including an honest admission of missteps and blind spots. Relationships cool, and both allies and collaboration become less effective and reliable as post-9/11 geopolitics shift K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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to prioritize nation-state security and personal interests. To make sense of her work, Liu probes not so much the general tragedy, injustice, and heartbreak of it all, but, rather, the multilateral failure to respond. She plods matter-offactly through procedural details, such as her election as MSF president and the particulars of public statements. It is difficult to believe that an appeal to shared humanity and solidarity alone can spur change in today’s hyper-­sensitized world, and Liu’s text does little to account for the rapid acceleration and changing nature of security concerns in the years since the end of her presidency. Still, she points the reader to the possibility that proverbial cooler heads might prevail—a prospect that feels more necessary than ever. A composed and contained testament to the work of saving lives.

Kirkus Star

Early Man Was a Woman: Book 1: Reclaiming Prehistory Lust, Ulli | Trans. by Elisabeth Lauffer The Experiment (256 pp.) | $29.95 September 1, 2026 | 9798893031379

A compelling consideration of the deepest roots of human civilization. As demonstrated in her two graphic memoirs, Lust’s ability to focus deeply on her subject with an intense, articulate feminist perspective is a literary gift to readers. Summoning those talents again in this fascinating historiography, she envisions the dawn of humanity through a fresh lens. In childhood in Austria, observing the gendered behaviors of her peers, Lust noticed that “normality is what we’re used to….The familiar provides us with a sense of security.” Yet what’s “normal” has been shifting for many millennia. How did humans progress from figurines, like the Venus of Hohle Fels—a 40,000-year-old, huge-breasted, wide-hipped nude female K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Coming to terms with the fact “that ‘Twin Peaks’ will be in the first line of my obituary.” FI C TI O N A L S ELVE S

carved from mammoth tusk—to precision-carved sculptures, like the Crouching Aphrodite of Doidalses, who conceals her nakedness as if ashamed? After establishing her personal fascination with the subject, Lust’s chronological study begins at the earliest moments of hominid evolution. For emerging Homo sapiens, the pursuit of mutual connection was essential for survival, and Lust argues subtly yet cogently that the artifacts of self-adornment, burial practices, and spiritual rituals reflect our ancestors’ meaning-rich, creatively fertile community life. Integrated with her copious collation of anthropological research from academic sources, Lust’s gorgeous, intimate illustrations deftly make tangible the realities of nomadic existence, offering the reader a rich sense of what it might have felt like to live so close to the earth. Surrounded by crackling bonfires, shifting glaciers, the great gray ocean, rolling clouds, towering mammoths, and soaring birds, the inception of humanity as Lust depicts it is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Stunning use of the graphic form in a formidable fusion of deep detail and broad purpose.

Fictional Selves: A Memoir MacLachlan, Kyle | Crown (320 pp.) | $34 September 29, 2026 | 9798217086320

Amiable memoir by the noted actor. “Acting is a peculiar profession,” writes MacLachlan. “You create another person who then exists, outside of you, in perpetuity….He’s not you, but people

mistake him for you.” MacLachlan has created more than his share of memorable characters, for better (Jeffrey Beaumont, Dale Cooper) and occasionally worse. In the latter category falls Paul Atreides, the lead role in his debut film, Dune (1984). It helped, MacLachlan writes, that he had worshipped Frank Herbert’s novel since adolescence; even today, he writes, “I give his every word the weight of prophecy.” Alas, the David Lynch movie tanked, with Roger Ebert calling it “the worst film of the year.” Lynch recovered; MacLachlan took a little longer to get good roles again, writing ruefully, “you can actually put together a pretty good filmography of the movies I am rejected for, turn down, or get tossed from,” from Top Gun to Platoon, Miller’s Crossing, and Some Kind of Wonderful. Paired again with Lynch (who usually speaks in all caps in MacLachlan’s telling, as in “DO SOME NEW THINGS”), Mac­ Lachlan inhabited the role of Beaumont in Blue Velvet, learning invaluable lessons in acting from a now-sober Dennis Hopper. Another Lynchian triumph follows in Twin Peaks, which “is a rocket launched into space,” carrying with it MacLachlan as Cooper. Although he’s made many other films since, some admittedly not so good—“there will inevitably be bad ones,” he writes, singling out Showgirls as a case in point—he allows that it’s been a long haul to come to terms with the fact, as he writes, “that Twin Peaks will be in the first line of my obituary.” He adds that he’s now glad at the prospect of being remembered for anything at all. It’s no stretch to include this book in that roster of successes. An entertaining and enlightening look at the sausage-making side of the film biz. SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Tidal Wave: The Pilots, the Princess, and the Enemy Ace—A True Story of Courage and Survival in WWII Makos, Adam | Ballantine (448 pp.) | $35 November 3, 2026 | 9780593725276

The spectacular Ploesti raid and a surprising sequel. Makos, prolific popular writer of books on World War II, including Devotion, An Epic Story of Heroism and Friendship (2014), devotes the first third of this latest to the planning and execution of the famous raid. In August 1943, a fleet of American B-24s flew from Africa to bomb the Ploesti oil refinery complex in Romania, a Nazi ally. Flying at treetop level to avoid German radar, they suffered heavy losses while inflicting severe damage that was quickly repaired. It was America’s first mass bomber operation of the war and produced a steady stream of accounts. By chance, Makos learned that one B-24 crashed on the estate of a British-­educated Romanian princess who rescued the survivors. Investigating further, he turned up a living 97-year-­old crewman who showed him a diary and referred him to families of crewmates who had preserved letters, memoirs, and interviews of their experience. Powerless, but a public figure, the princess persuaded Romania’s “iron-fisted dictator,” Ion Antonescu, that fliers captured after the raid were Romanian property and not to be turned over to the Nazis. As a result, crewmen were held in Geneva Convention-­ approved conditions, vastly superior to what they could expect in Germany. A year later, with Hitler clearly losing, Romania’s king, who had in effect been a prisoner of the military dictatorship since 1940, organized a coup that returned him to power. Romania switched sides; more than 1,000 Allied POWs were freed, and, once informed, the American Air Force sent a fleet of bombers from Italy to rescue them. This was a happy ending for the prisoners, if not for 58

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Romania, which became a Soviet satellite, and for the royal family, which was exiled by the victorious communists in 1947. It’s a little-known story that’s hard to resist. Vivid niche history.

Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech’s Data Empires Marx, Paris | Riverhead (320 pp.) | $31 October 20, 2026 | 9798217048526

A tech reporter takes on an ever-expanding story: the endless proliferation of massive data centers. Server farms have been around since networked computers were put in place half a century ago, when, Marx writes, one might have filled “a room or floor in an office building.” As computing power grew, companies emerged that consolidated servers in dedicated buildings, with disk space rented to users. Then came data centers, and, now, given the demands of AI, “an entirely new category: the hyperscale data center.” The numbers are staggering, as Marx details. Elon Musk bought a 785,000-­square-foot warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee, to house digital image processors; not to be outdone, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently purchased a patch of Louisiana big enough for 2,700 football fields to fill with an AI data center and 10 power plants that “could power five million homes.” Of course, as communities across the country have been learning, data centers bring with them higher electrical utility costs, reduced water tables, and lowered property values. As for the rest of the country, many municipalities are trying to lure in AI companies—notably Google, Amazon, and Microsoft—with tax incentives. In turn, the companies are requiring nondisclosure agreements (thereby violating open meeting laws),

so that residents don’t find out about the data centers before they’re faits accomplis. Who benefits? Those three big corporations, of course, but also companies such as OpenAI, Oracle, and Nvidia, which trade deals back and forth such that “what you see is money flowing in a big circle.” Left out of consideration is the environment—and democratic society. On that score, Marx closes with a warning: If the polity doesn’t take charge of the situation, “we allow tech billionaires to chart the course of our collective future.” A timely, vigorously researched and written work of tech and advocacy journalist.

Kirkus Star

Reds: A Global History of Communism Mason, Paul | Scribner (528 pp.) | $32 October 13, 2026 | 9781668057186

A world-spanning examination of communism and the many forms, none quite right, that it has taken. More fluent than but kindred to Stephane Courtois’ Black Book of Communism (1999), Mason’s narrative begins with the reasonable fear that the future will belong to China. “Capitalism is in trouble and liberal democracy is imploding,” he writes, while communism is ever evolving, whether one sees this as a distortion or a validation of Marxist theory. In this well-written history, Mason locates the origins of modern communism in a critique of the French Revolution, with its Enlightenment-era presumption that history could be studied scientifically. It’s an idea that Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels later ran with: The masses needed to be ruled by a dedicated elite cadre since “the backward peasant majority would always outvote the proletariat.” Whereas Marx insisted on the necessity of worldwide revolution, Lenin put that revolutionary dictatorship K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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in practice in Russia alone, launching a totalitarian state led by what the anarchist Mikhail Bakunin called “a new and very small aristocracy.” Whatever that state was, it wasn’t communist, at least not in the Marxist sense. But, as Mason observes, the winners get to write the history, such that China’s “totalitarian technocracy” is now broadly taken as communism in action. That may be true, he allows, but only to the extent that it matches the statist vision of Henri de Saint-Simon and not the “association of free producers” that Marx espoused. Against communism in its totalitarian forms—and it’s no surprise, as Mason observes, that Putin’s Russia is busily erecting statues of Lenin—he offers an alternative vision of a “humane, democratic, and sustainable path beyond class society.” Engels would have mocked that as “utopian,” but the anti-Bolshevik revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg would likely have approved, for, as she wrote, “Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently.” A deeply researched, thoughtthrough, essential history of a protean ideology.

Kirkus Star

Broadway in Black and White: The Untold Story of the American Musical Mauceri, John & John H. McWhorter with Michael Gildin | Norton (416 pp.) | $35 November 3, 2026 | 9781324110927

How African American participation made musical theater the United States’ most distinctive art form. Composer/ conductor Mauceri sees the evolution of the Broadway musical as an example of America’s “collective, messy, raucous story.” It’s a view echoed and deepened by his coauthor, critic and linguist McWhorter, whose interspersed chapters zoom in on seven significant K IR KU S R E V IE W S

productions, including Porgy and Bess and Fats Waller’s Great Day. The proto-musical that emerged after the Civil War was, Mauceri acknowledges, “frankly, uninteresting” until the Black rhythms of ragtime, followed by jazz, galvanized the form in the early decades of the 20th century. The “dazzling cauldron of influences” that shaped the genre also included minstrelsy shows, vaudeville, and operettas, but the narrative rightly emphasizes the preeminent role of Black music and artists. “What began as a strange, fitfully advancing hybrid of white and Black has now become simply American,” writes McWhorter, and the emphasis by both authors is on how Broadway musicals, from Show Boat and In Dahomey to The Lion King and Hamilton, “taught by entertaining.” They advanced the cause of racial equality, not just by bringing Black music to white audiences, but by normalizing the presence of Black performers—eventually, in integrated casts—and by making anti-racist statements in shows such as South Pacific and (by inference) Wicked. Much of this material will be familiar to musical-­theater buffs, but Mauceri and McWhorter give it a sharp focus and offer fresh insights, such as the observation that as the Civil Rights Movement progressed after World War II, activists became increasingly sensitive to anything that smacked of racial stereotypes. (A funny monologue by a character in Langston Hughes’ Simply Heaven warns, “Lord have mercy, honey, do-don’t like no black-eyed peas and rice!”) In today’s polarized climate, it may be hard to share the authors’ belief in art as a force for social justice, but it’s easy to be moved by their passion for it. An illuminating account of Broadway’s multiracial history.

Suffer a Witch: A Memoir McCullough, Joy | Dutton (336 pp.) | $30 August 18, 2026 | 9780593855904

A woman’s word. McCullough, a playwright and children’s and young adult book author, offers a raw recounting of sexual abuse along with impassioned reflections about women “accused, coerced, convicted, executed” during vicious witch hunts. Her memoir, written in verse, is interwoven with prose letters—some to accusers, such as teenage girls “caught up in the feeling of having power.” Others to the accused—Joan of Arc; Bridget Bishop, the first woman executed as a witch in Salem; and even a 4-year old child. McCullough was a sophomore in high school when the older, married youth pastor in her church singled her out for attention—and soon, sex. She calls him Brett, a reminder of the Supreme Court Justice accused of sexual assault during his confirmation hearings. As Brett became increasingly controlling and demanding, McCullough felt trapped and powerless. Seeing her body as something made “for someone else’s / amusement,” she developed an eating disorder, trying to starve herself into a child’s size. In college, as a volunteer sexual assault crisis counselor, she learned the legal meaning of consent, sexual assault, and rape, and she mustered the courage to confide her secret. Yet her efforts to find justice repeatedly were frustrated: Her father, a pastor, had affairs all through his marriage, and, even when McCullough’s older sister warned him about Brett’s behavior, he refused to act. After one affair cost her father his job, he

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went on to head a seminary; her abuser moved on to youth pastor positions at other churches. Her efforts to pursue a criminal case went nowhere. McCullough fictionalized the life of 17th-century painter Artemesia Gentileschi, raped by her art tutor, in her debut book Blood Water Paint (2018); this memoir serves as a moving sequel. Stark testimony of hard-won survival.

Silence So Deep It Rings: A Desert Chronicle McPhee, Laura | Princeton Univ. (176 pp.) $49.95 | October 27, 2026 | 9780691281131

Photographic record of the degradation of the American West. McPhee, author of The Home and the World: A View of Calcutta (2014), has lived in the Great Basin for many years. “Held together by its concealed water,” as her father John McPhee writes, the place has long attracted photographers for the exotic natural beauty of places like the Ruby Valley of Nevada and the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah. Laura McPhee captures that beauty capably. But more, she documents in her images the unhappy fact that much of the West has been a dumping ground, a place to explode nuclear weapons and tear down mountains for their minerals. Some of the impetus for her visual journey lies in homage to her great-grandmother, who a century before had quit Ohio for what used to the called the Inland Empire, having left an adulterous husband to raise two young daughters on her own. Another impetus comes from the contrast between the practices

of American colonial settlers on the land with those of the Indigenous peoples of the place. One image of a keystone plant species, the juniper tree, comes with the note that the Shoshone and other peoples used juniper limbs to make bows. The contrast comes from what lies beyond the gnarled juniper at the foot of a near-distant snowy mountain range, namely, a coal-fired electrical power plant belching sulfurous smoke. McPhee’s evocative set of images comes with built-in challenges, not only just in finding the visual worth of things like rusted automobiles and strip mines, but also in capturing them with a large-­ format camera that requires laborious setup and framing—not the thing for photojournalism. “Now, I believe that all the elements in a landscape coalesce once, and then they’re gone,” she says in a concluding conversation with her father and the writer Ian Frazier. An expertly photographed chronicle of a region long under siege by the forces of extraction.

Mad as Hell: How 60 Minutes Took on the Powerful and Made Television History Moses, Harry | Prospecta Press (256 pp.) $27.50 | September 1, 2026 | 9781632261816

A longtime documentarian and 60 Minutes producer takes readers behind the scenes. Moses fell into journalism more or less accidentally, his first go as a reporter “a total bust”—that being an

Documenting, in photos, how much of the West has been a dumping ground.

interview with a rural Virginian who answered Moses with monosyllables. He grew on the job, though, schooled by “a profane alcoholic” and the comedian/activist Dick Gregory, as well as an array of ordinary folks who imparted life lessons. Moses landed at 60 Minutes early on. It was a show that almost didn’t happen until executive rivalries kicked in: Famed producer Don Hewitt had been turned down by CBS News president Fred Friendly, who was fired not long after, and he used reverse psychology to pitch his successor by saying that Friendly hated it. “That was all [Richard] Salant needed to hear. It took Hewitt three years, but 60 Minutes had its green light.” In an early anecdote, Moses suggests that “the first ambush interview in history” took place under his watch, when a military blowhard had his purported record of heroic acts shredded by an eyewitness. Another anecdote recounts the discovery of corporate correspondence in which a chemical manufacturer acknowledged that factory workers would die making one of its products—but then ordered that the expenses of settling lawsuits be built into the P&L paperwork. Moses dissects the hundreds on hundreds of hours and the army of technicians that go into making a single segment—of interest to any fan of the show and documentary films in general. He also dishes dirt on subjects and colleagues alike (Mike Wallace in particular) while recalling successes and failures. He closes with a vigorous takedown of the current CBS News regime, “headed by conservative print journalist Bari Weiss,” quoting fired correspondent Scott Pelley’s aperçu that a republic without a free press is “a stage set.” A revealing fly-on-the-wall account of how news is made.

For more on the media, visit Kirkus online.

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The Last Leaf: Reflections on Late-Life Creativity—­ And My Longest Love Affair Nelson, Willie with David Ritz & Mia Tangredi | Penguin Press (208 pp.) | $30 November 10, 2026 | 9798217059430

The red-headed stranger delivers well-considered remarks on music, life, death, creativity, ganja, and much else. “I’m always on the road, even when I’m not on the road,” writes Nelson. “My mind never stops expanding and examining.” It’s not all that often that Nelson isn’t on the road for real. At 93, he allows that he’s slowing down a little, to the extent that “to get through a set, I had to sit down,” but every bit of him rebels against the concession to reality. Much as he likes to alter it, Nelson is sharp as a diamond on making music: He receives a song as “a witness to the birth,” not quite sure how it arrived but grateful all the same. He adds, sagely, that a song need not make sense or even rhyme (he cites “Moonlight in Vermont”); it need only “make friends,” becoming part of one’s life. Inevitably, Nelson turns to the friends he has outlasted, writing affectionately of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Ray Price, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson (“an intellectual who wrote songs for everyday people”), and Leon Russell, an unacknowledged architect of the hippie-redneck armistice that begat Nelson’s annual picnic/concert. There’s some understandable, aching nostalgia for the departed and times gone, but Nelson also very much lives in the tumultuous present—for example, his wife secured Italian citizenship for their progeny, so that “if the shit hits the fan, our sons can hightail it to Florence.” As for any change in his own schedule, allowing for needing a chair and feeling a bit creaky at times, he shows no signs here of slowing down: “I’ve never really wanted a break. This country is K IR KU S R E V IE W S

beautiful, and the world is beautiful, and I want to see it all.” A treat for Willie Nelson fans, which is just about everyone in the known universe.

Revolutionary Snipers: Washington’s Frontier Commandos Whose Marksmanship Forged a New Way of War and Helped Win the Revolution O’Donnell, Patrick K. | Atlantic Monthly (432 pp.) | $30 | November 10, 2026 9780802166395

The Revolution’s riflemen. Bestselling military historian O’Donnell reminds readers that until the middle of the 19th century, infantry fought with muskets that were relatively cheap, simple to operate, and inaccurate. Invented centuries earlier, rifles had a longer, narrower barrel engraved with a spiral groove (“rifling”). Its bullet fit the barrel tightly, and the groove caused it to spin when fired, making it far more accurate as well as more expensive. Cheaper and much quicker to load, muskets remained the dominant firearm in the 18th century, but rifles, essential for hunting, were the weapon of choice on the American frontier. This was no secret to George Washington in 1775, when he organized the Continental Army. The result was entire units of riflemen, led by frontiersman like Daniel Morgan, which were especially effective in dense forests where massed firing from regular units was impossible. Mostly these units acted as scouts, skirmishers, and snipers. O’Donnell does not deny that they were a minor feature of traditional European battles (which Washington preferred) because American long rifles could not carry a bayonet, then a far more important weapon than it is today. No scholar claims that sharpshooters tipped the balance, but O’Donnell makes a convincing case for their importance and

writes a stirring, weapon-oriented account of battles up to the 1777 victory at Saratoga in which rifles played a major role and, in O’Donnell’s judgment, “marked a seismic shift in the war. Great Britain lost one of its two major field armies in North America—an unprecedented feat for the Americans and a strategic catastrophe for the British” because it persuaded France to join the colonies. Later, when Washington adopted a more European-style strategy, sharpshooters became less prominent. Specific rifle units were abolished in 1779, although many riflemen participated in Washington’s genocidal campaigns against frontier Indian tribes that mostly supported the British. Good nuts-and-bolts battle history.

Confronting America: What Has To Change O’Reilly, Bill & Josh Hammer | St. Martin’s (304 pp.) | $32 | September 15, 2026 9781250374073

A former talking head speaks out on the good old days and the bad new ones. What ails the republic? A cowardly Congress? A rubber-stamping Supreme Court? Inflation? No. What ails the republic, by O’Reilly’s account, is tattoos. Well, tattoos and a whole bunch of other newfangled things. But yes, tattoos: “A neck tattoo is not going to stimulate higher wages unless you are motivated to work in a strip club,” he observes. He later adds, “Showing up for a job interview looking like a Hells Angel is not going to advance your cause in most places. Americans need to think about self-­respect.” Millions in America sport tattoos these days, but, no matter—he’s got other complaints to lodge. For one, he writes, “if you smoke cigarettes in this country, you negatively stand out.…But inhale pot and somehow you’re cool.” He may not have gotten the memo about widespread legalization, but he takes a minute to blame that slide >>> SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Jamie McCar thy/Get t y Images for Best Friends Animal Societ y.

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Isabel Klee Says That Dog in Her Memoir Has Died

has died, the author revealed on Instagram. She said that Simon had been battling cancer and epilepsy. The book, published in April by Morrow/Harper­Collins, chronicles Klee’s search for love in New York, where she volunteered as a dog foster, caring for canines in need of forever homes. The book

Simon played a starring role in Dogs, Boys, and Other Things Isabel I’ve Cried About. Klee

Simon, the rescue dog who won readers’ hearts in Isabel Klee’s memoir, Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About,

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became an instant No. 1 New York Times bestseller. “Isabel’s first true love…was Simon, a fluffy puppy who’d been saved from the meat trade,” Morrow says in its online description the book. “As the highs and lows of her twenties hit Isabel in wave after wave, it was Simon who kept her grounded. Together, Isabel and Simon created a community of dog-lovers and a tight-knit group of friends pursuing their dreams.” In a video posted on Instagram, Klee paid tribute to Simon at a gathering for his human and canine friends: “It is a heartbreak I will never recover from. But the fact that each person here will remember and miss him

SEEN AND HEARD alongside us does make it hurt a little bit less.” The caption on Klee’s post reads, “Rest well, my angel. I can’t [wait] to see you again one day.” —M.S. For a review of Dogs, Boys, and Other Things, visit Kirkus online.

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Hanif Abdurraqib Named Indie Bookstore Ambassador The author is known for books such as There’s Always This Year. The American Book­ sellers Association has named Hanif Abdurraqib its new Indie Bookstore Ambassador,

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the group announced in a news release. Abdurraqib made his literary debut in 2016 with the poetry collection The Crown Ain’t Worth Much and followed that up in 2017 with the essay collection They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us. His other books include Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest, A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance, and There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. Abdurraqib said in a statement, “When I am traveling, the places I often go to first are the independent

bookstores in a city because independent booksellers often have a unique understanding of the place they are in. I am honored to serve in this role because I believe indie booksellers are masters of close attention, and the benefit of that close attention is the ability to place something in someone’s hand that can be transportive, and life-altering.” The post of Indie Bookstore Ambassador

SEEN AND HEARD was established in 2022. Previous ambassadors include Celeste Ng, Amanda Gorman, Trevor Noah, and LeVar Burton. —M.S. For a review of There’s Always This Year, visit Kirkus online.

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into cultural depravity on Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson. George Soros and Joe Biden want to trash the country. On Soros, he writes, “the guy despises traditional America and wants to destroy it.” Nancy Pelosi, he says, is “fanatically left-wing.” Zohran Mamdani is a “Communist,” and, on top of that, young people aren’t interested in hard work. Artificial intelligence is bad, Intelligent Design good. There’s more: “In the age of ‘woke,’ if you mock someone, especially a minority person, you will be accused of dastardly behavior.” Black communities are troubled because they don’t have dads, and “‘hip-hop’ culture is toxic.” And so forth. A man who misses the 1950s shakes his fist at the uncomprehending sky.

Friends of the Devil: West Texas Cowboys, Brown-­Eyed Women, and Other Sunshine Daydreamers From the Songs of the Grateful Dead Pappademas, Alex & Joan LeMay Random House (304 pp.) | $35 November 3, 2026 | 9780593732748

A freewheeling take on the Grateful Dead’s songbook and history. With its short chapters keyed to individual songs, this addition to the Grateful Dead bookshelf blazes its own trail. Divided into two sets, much like a Dead concert, it combines fresh interpretations of Dead lyrics with historical detail, freewheeling commentary, loose associations, fine phrasemaking, and gouache portraits by LeMay. Pappademas, whose previous books considered the works of Keanu Reeves and Steely Dan, never states this book’s purpose explicitly, but he seems to be targeting motivated general readers who will clock his references to Dead-­ related or Dead-adjacent events, figures, music, and films. Some of these events are well known to Deadheads, including the lethal Altamont concert of 1969 and the Dead’s remarkable appearance on Playboy After Dark earlier that year. 66

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Pappademas also considers the Dead in the company of Janis Joplin, the Band, Merle Haggard, Chuck Berry, and Bob Dylan. Some of the material, including a long digression on Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point (1970), will be a stretch for even the most ardent Deadhead, not to mention younger audiences not steeped in that period. Happily, Pappademas’ commentary is supported by endnotes, including nods to some of the band’s chief historians, for readers who wish to follow up or explore the band’s story more methodically. The book ends with a lengthy rumination on death addressed to an unnamed loved one who has passed away. Death was one of the band’s favorite topics, and, as its members have perished, some of their songs “had suddenly developed amazing depths and shades of meaning,” Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten told Relix magazine. “[Dead lyricist] Robert Hunter told me it was by design. He’d had this day in mind. As a writer, you have to look ahead to the end, he explained.” It’s a reminder, if any were needed, that the band’s long, strange trip defies the stereotypes that surround it. Blends elements from the Grateful Dead’s story and catalog to make sense of both.

Paradise Now: Living the Lord’s Prayer Parini, Jay | Morehouse Publishing (160 pp.) $21.95 | October 20, 2026 | 9798898950071

Thoughtful overview of the seminal Christian prayer. Parini, a noted author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, offers a brief but densely packed reflection that views the Lord’s Prayer with the eyes of both a believer and a scholar. His approach is deeply personal yet informed throughout by the thoughts of others. Dividing the prayer into 11 parts, he thoroughly examines each line in turn. Noting early on that “This prayer stands in the juncture of Jewish and Christian

traditions,” he makes an effort to tie the Christian prayer to its original roots in a Jewish milieu. In his chapter on the phrase, “And forgive us our trespasses,” for example, he notes, “Our prayer for pardon presupposes that we need to repair the world,” tying the phrase to the similar Jewish concept of tikkun olam. More broadly, he aims to provide an intellectually informed framework for understanding and appreciating the believer’s relationship to God through prayer as a whole. In so doing, he draws on an impressive array of writers: Whitman, Shakespeare, Tillich, Buber, Pagels, Barth, Augustine, Aquinas—the list goes on. Bob Dylan even makes a cameo appearance in Parini’s cavalcade of thinkers. Though open to modern critical readings of scripture, his work is relatively traditionalist in tone, and the author is clearly interested in the text as a spiritual tool rather than as a subject for academic inquiry. Written by a mature, erudite believer, it speaks best to a similar audience of readers. At least a passing familiarity with both early and modern theologians, Jewish traditions, and the interplay between religion and literature is required for full engagement with this brief but contemplative work. Highly literate treatment of a vital element in the Christian tradition.

Tripwires: 15 Twenty-FirstCentury Events That Undermined American Democracy―And How To Reclaim It Patterson, Richard North | The New Press (256 pp.) | $27.99 | September 1, 2026 9798893850901

A novelist turns to nonfiction to denounce America’s slide toward “the precipice of authoritarianism.” Best known for legal thrillers, Patterson describes a series of “tripwires”—that is, “decisive moments, each avoidable, wherein myopia, miscalculation, or malignity K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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President Trump “mining the vein of racism” has “helped America hate again.” TRIPWIRES

alter the course of events.” Exhibit A: the 2000 Supreme Court decision that handed the presidency to George W. Bush “by judicial fiat.” That tripwire led to other disasters: the war in Iraq; an unprecedented tax break for the already rich, which accelerated a process of inequality that shattered the democratic promise of widely shared wealth in the post–World War II era; and the acceptance of massive deficits and debt as business as usual. He sees these missteps abroad on the land today, as President Trump repeats the errors of his predecessor, from war with Iran to crony capitalism. Enabling him, Patterson writes, is the Roberts Supreme Court: “We have witnessed the GOP’s conversion of our presumptively independent judiciary into an avatar of that party’s political interests.” For each moment of willful decline, a previous step forward is negated, the author says: Trump “mining the vein of racism” has “helped America hate again,” while the Tea Party of old has been supersized into MAGA. It’s no surprise, Patterson notes, that the only ethnic group to support Trump consisted of whites and especially the easily manipulated uneducated and left-behind. Many of these recent developments were unleashed by a tripwire of then-FBI Director James Comey’s making when, on the eve of the 2016 election, he wrote to Congress to inform it that Hillary Clinton was under investigation in “a self-preening desire to establish his bipartisan piety.” By Patterson’s account, that act handed the White House to Trump, who has been busy taking a wrecking ball—figuratively and literally—to it ever since. Patterson closes by suggesting a set of remedies, from addressing disparities of race and class to reversing Trump’s tax cuts and “getting immigration right” by a K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Democratic commitment to meaningful border security.

Aggrieved and angry, just the thing to read before the midterm elections.

Death of an Ordinary Man Perry, Sarah | Mariner Books (208 pp.) $28 | October 6, 2026 | 9780063480568

One of Britain’s premier novelists revisits the last days of her father-in-law’s life. The author of five internationally bestselling novels and one work of nonfiction, Perry is well-enough known in her native England to have been recognized by one of the hospice workers caring for her father-in-law David as he lay dying at home in Norwich. This short memoir tells the story of 77-year-old David’s rapid decline from esophageal cancer in the autumn of 2022. Now in her 40s, Perry had known him since she was 17; she married his son, Robert, at 20. David was, indeed, “ordinary” in the conventional sense. A retired industrial chemist and religious Baptist who attended church faithfully, he enjoyed hobbies, like stamp collecting and reading Antiques Gazette, in the 10 years after his wife, Jenny, died of complications from rheumatoid arthritis. Though Perry doesn’t fill in many details of his life, David does come alive, as it were, through her prose. Diagnosed with an aggressive cancer already metastasizing rapidly, he responds with characteristic English reserve; but, through Perry’s novelistically close observation, we see a man quietly engaged in a struggle to die proudly and without shame, despite the

indignities of his final disease. “Now when I hear of ‘dignity in dying’ as I often do,” she observes, “the phrase troubles me with its imprecision, which comes close to dishonesty— ­it is as if it were possible to promise a woman dignity in birth.” Her first close experience with death, nevertheless, gives her a lens with which to view herself, her loved ones, and her community with candor and love. An honest, affecting, eminently relatable account.

The Agatha Christie Cure: What Reading the Queen of Crime Taught Me About Life Rentzenbrink, Cathy | Viking (352 pp.) $32 | October 6, 2026 | 9780593835302

Wisdom from Miss Marple. When British memoirist Rentzenbrink faced the end of her marriage and the challenges of parenting a teenager on her own, she found consolation and enlightenment in the life and works of Agatha Christie (1890-1976), prolific author of 66 crime novels, stories, and one autobiography. Feeling an indelible connection to the Queen of Crime, Rentzenbrink finds numerous commonalities that convince her that she has much to learn from Agatha (as she calls the beloved author). “I know her habits and the way her mind works,” she writes. Seeing a photo of Agatha, she notes, “Her knees are just like mine.” Rentzenbrink focuses on a particularly significant moment in Christie’s life: 11 days in 1926 when she disappeared, only to suddenly turn up and claim she had lost her memory. Rentzenbrink is certain that the reality is more complicated: Christie’s mother had just died, and her husband suddenly asked for a divorce. “Hurt and wounded and terribly lonely without her mother and deeply ashamed that she has failed to hang onto her husband,” Christie was mired in “grief, heartbreak and despair.” Rentzenbrink knows the SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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feeling: Unhappily married, she felt as if she was caught in quicksand she couldn’t get out of. It’s a relief when her husband finally leaves, but her relationship with her son is challenging; because of dyslexia and/or ADHD, he does poorly in school and feels like a failure. Only when she manages to extricate him from the educational system does he seem to thrive, and he comes to share her obsession with Agatha. Rentzenbrink offers an annotated inventory of her bookcase of Christie’s works, which are subjected to close scrutiny and lively discussion. An inventive melding of memoir, biography, and homage.

The Havana Syndrome: Secret Weapons, a Government Cover-Up, and the Greatest Spy Mystery of Our Time Rey, Michael & Oriana Zill de Granados Crown (336 pp.) | $33 | October 13, 2026 9798217088386

Investigative report on high-­tech, and nearly undetectable, warfare. A decade ago, 60 Minutes producers Rey and Zill de Granados investigated a mysterious series of “sonic attacks” on American diplomats in the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba. Many victims, besides embassy staffers, were “clandestine intelligence officers working undercover,” though obviously not so undercover that they hadn’t been targeted. As the authors note, Havana wasn’t the only battlefield: Similar attacks occurred in Germany, Serbia, Vietnam, and Russia. Some vicims were innocents, including babies and household pets. All suffered from assaults by technology that could not be immediately traced, and although the effects were terrible—muscle, brain, and nerve damage, loss of sight and hearing, dizziness, diminished cognitive skills— because of that unknowable origin, the CIA and FBI waved them off as psychosomatic, “a case of mass hysteria 68

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How spirituality has influenced an art-pop musician’s life. T H E L A S T T E M P TAT I O N O F B E C K

among the victims due to workplace stress.” One afflicted agent attacked in Moscow had to argue his case for three years before being admitted to Walter Reed Hospital’s center for traumatic brain injury, where, a name now put on his malady, he could be treated. Many other victims died, some by suicide, and still the intelligence agencies tried to sweep the matter under the carpet. A televised 60 Minutes report yielded wider public knowledge of the rapid-pulse microwave assaults, which, through a military research team, traced the beginnings of the technology as far back as 1959 to “weaponized radiation” on the part of the Soviets. Their Putin-era Russian successors continue to wage war on the West with ultramodern gear. And still the CIA denies it—which, as one agent put it, is “the biggest cover-up in the history of my adult life.” That denial suggests that the U.S. also has this “stealth weapon with no known defense”—and so, the authors add, might other actors, including drug cartels. A blistering exposé of a frightening technology—and the equally frightening silence shrouding it.

The Last Temptation of Beck: The Untold Story of a Pop Messiah Riesman, Josephine | Atria (272 pp.) $30 | October 6, 2026 | 9781668043547

A peek inside the intensely private life and obscure past of the art-­ pop superstar. Is Beck a Scientologist, and how much has that mattered in his life and art? Religion can be a narrow frame through which to study a pop-culture figure, but, in this

well-researched and thoughtful biography, Reisman (Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America, 2023, etc.) shows how Beck’s spiritual path has influenced his relationships and creative decisions. Born Bek David Campbell, he is the son of a successful Hollywood string arranger with ties to Scientology’s Celebrity Centre. Though Beck was educated in the highly protective (and litigious) religion, he seemed to break away from it in his 20s, becoming an alt-rock antihero with ’90s hits, like “Loser” and “The New Pollution.” He was in a close relationship with Leigh Limon, who also served as his stylist, but, in 2000, he abruptly cut it off. He shut down his website’s discussion forums (which were thick with Scientology chatter) and renewed ties with his father, who worked on Beck’s acclaimed 2002 album, Sea Change. Working from multiple interviews, some on background, Reisman surmises that the Church of Scientology may have played a long game to bring him back into the fold, casting doubts on his secular friends’ loyalties. Since his shift, Reisman observes, Beck has been icier and more distant, which has had some grim consequences; Reisman suggests that he treated a pair of artist collaborators, Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake, in ways that led to their suicides in 2007. Reisman has done her homework on a tricky subject, and her studies of Beck’s parents, team, and hangers-on make for an intriguing portrait of an artist. Smart pop-culture reporting on an especially tricky subject.

For more on music, visit Kirkus online.

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Kirkus Star

Work in Progress: A Memoir Rodriguez, Devon | One World/Random House (368 pp.) | $31.99 | September 29, 2026 9780593734483

A visual artist chronicles his rise from chaotic childhood to social-­ media popularity. Born in the South Bronx in 1996, Rodriguez lived in a single room with his abusive, drug-using, Honduran American mother and two half-siblings. His mother, he says, had little interest in encouraging his early interest in drawing. She once used one of his early artworks as a torch to light a stove: “She used to tell me that I was naïve,” he writes. “‘You gotta learn reality,’ she’d say. ‘This world is dark and twisted.’ She didn’t believe in protecting innocence.” His father was a “gifted tattooer” who “made me feel like becoming an artist was not just a dream but my destiny.” He was also mostly absent, moving from city to city, always one step ahead of “all these baby mamas…trying to find me, to sue me for child support.” If not for his Honduran-­ born grandmother, to whom the memoir is dedicated and who housed him in her humble but much safer apartment during his adolescence, Rodriguez would never have known unconditional familial love. Luckily, dedicated New York City public school teachers and, later, professional artists and other supporters he met by chance saw and encouraged Rodriguez’s artistic talent, particularly his ability to draw and paint the human face in all its forms and its expressiveness. “The subway was my gallery, and then, when I was fourteen, it became my classroom,” he writes. “My art teacher at Samuel Gompers High School, Mr. Harper, taught me that because of the diversity of people—the cheekbones, the foreheads, the mouths, all representing different ancestries—forcing me to stay sharp, the subway was the best place to hone my skills.” His curiosity and entrepreneurial K IR KU S R E V IE W S

spirit fueled his fame—he now has tens of millions of followers on social media. His prose, as vivid as his art, takes the reader on a wild, exhilarating ride that is, at turns, harrowing and hopeful but always honest and down to earth, even as he reaches new heights. A deeply affecting memoir.

Kirkus Star

Savior and Seducer: A Renegade History of the United States in the World Russell, Thaddeus | Atlantic Monthly (384 pp.) $35 | October 20, 2026 | 9780802128218

Revisionist history of the U.S. in world geopolitics. Russell builds on his Renegade History of the United States (2010) with a wide-ranging study that is less contrarian than contradictorian. The contradiction comes from two fundamental American impulses. The first is Puritanism, that haunting fear, as Mencken put it, that someone is having fun out there. The second is precisely that fun and the democratic vision that underlies it: “its exports were not sermons but songs, not codes of conduct but offers of emancipation.” From the first, Russell writes, high-minded folk, such as John Adams, worried that Americans would not retain the discipline necessary to stage a revolution and build a nation, given the temptations of drink and debauchery in plain view. Like many a Founder, Adams held a vision of an American empire. So did Thomas Jefferson, whose “first act as president was to go to war” to combat the Barbary pirates. The bugaboo in all this was none other than capitalism, which “contained dangerous contradictions for an ambitious head of state.” Capitalism required discipline and subservience, but it also required consumerist impulses, so that it was “at once puritanical and libertine.” Everywhere American power and capitalism traveled, whether in the brutal conquest of the Philippines or the

wars on Europe’s Western Front and in Vietnam, American pop culture followed, decried everywhere it went: Hitler excoriated jazz, the Politburo hated rock ’n’ roll, the secret police of the Japanese Empire tried to suppress homegrown flappers, and both Communists and Nationalists tried to keep Chinese women away from lipstick. Ironically, then, Russell raises the question: “If jazz, rock, ‘vulgar’ movies and blue jeans helped bring down Communism, why were they not celebrated by American political leaders as a beacon of freedom?” Because they threatened American puritanical authoritarians today, as witness the ongoing culture wars. A well-argued, fresh way to look at America’s role in the world from the founding until today.

Cleopatra: A Woman of Power Schiavone, Aldo | Princeton Univ. (232 pp.) $27.95 | October 27, 2026 | 9780691270630

Downplaying cliched images of “seduction, sex, and betrayal,” historian Schiavone characterizes the Egyptian queen as “a woman of intellect and passion” focused on her ambitions for herself and her country. As in Spartacus (2013) and Pontius Pilate (2017), Schiavone concisely depicts a figure “hidden in shadow” but “connected to crucial events in Roman history.” Challenging some modern historians and ancient sources poisoned by prejudice against an ambitious non-Roman woman, he insists on Cleopatra’s substantial intellectual and strategic impact, on Antony especially. He takes as keys to understanding this complex personality her relations with Julius Caesar and her vision of an Alexander-inspired empire to rule. The queen’s story is inextricably intertwined with Rome’s history, and much of the book is devoted to Caesar and Antony’s SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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complicated military and political maneuvers. Inevitably, despite Schiavone’s efforts to make the most of few sources, the men take center stage. Although he provides extensive source notes, he still must conjecture and speculate on much, but he does so persuasively. For instance, writing of Cleopatra, that she “sensed” a situation, he makes a good case for the thoughts and motives he projects onto her. Schiavone blames Antony’s military failures entirely on his “ineptitude as a strategist,” detailing the Roman’s indecision, poor planning, and military and political blunders while exonerating Cleopatra from the Actium debacle. The author’s style retains its formal flair: He observes of Caesar and Cleopatra that “The hummings of the heart were always subordinated, in both of them, to the logic of ambition and power— or rather, to the projection of the self into the space and time of the immortal.” The multiple power-hungry Ptolemies, the many figures of the republic-to-imperium transition, and the intricate military maneuvers risk occasionally losing lay readers, though, overall, the picture is clear. Schiavone’s stated aim, “combining powerful interpretation with the joy of storytelling,” largely succeeds. An able correction to some longstanding myths.

Kirkus Star

Edward Hopper: A Life Shadwick, Louis | Yale Univ. (544 pp.) $40 | October 13, 2026 | 9780300263787

Portrait of a celebrated artist. Art historian Shadwick makes an impressive debut with a comprehensive life of Edward Hopper (18821967) that considers the social, cultural, and political forces that shaped him as well as the myths created about him. 70

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Drawing on a rich trove of material newly available at the Whitney Museum of Art, Shadwick offers “context, proportion, and qualification” to the conception of Hopper as Puritan, individualistic, and quintessentially American. Although Hopper “prioritized the individual over the crowd, the personal over the social,” Shadwick argues that he felt a “passion for European culture”; he imbibed the “fumes of American nationalism,” but, by 1934, he distanced himself from American regionalist painters. Hopper grew up in the quiet Hudson River town of Nyack but gravitated to Manhattan to study at the New York School of Art, where his teachers included William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri. For many years, discouraged by a lack of recognition, he supported himself, resentfully, as a commercial artist. His personal life also gave cause for resentment: His marriage to artist Josephine Nivison in 1924 was dominated by conflict. Jo’s minutely detailed diaries reveal domestic tensions that sometimes erupted into abuse. Hopper’s reputation began to rise in the late 1920s with significant sales and, in 1933, an important retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, which inaugurated decades of growing fame. Scrupulously following Hopper’s artistic development, Shadwick closely analyzes his works, many reproduced among the book’s 100 color and black-and-white images. He follows the couple on their travels, records the books each read, movies and plays they saw, exhibitions they attended, the juries Hopper served on, and the serious health problems that blighted their final years. In short, he has created a biography that deserves to be called definitive. Prodigious research informs a penetrating study.

For more on Edward Hopper, visit Kirkus online.

Welcome to the Afterlife: A No-Nonsense Tour for Those in Mourning or the Merely Curious with Denise, Heaven’s Receptionist Smith, Taryn Delanie | Illus. by Maria Krasinski 37 Ink/Simon & Schuster (96 pp.) | $20 October 20, 2026 | 9781668212462

The ultimate insider’s tour of heaven. Smith’s beloved TikTok creation—­ Denise, “heaven’s receptionist”— makes her way to the page with a lightweight book about a potentially heavy subject. Unfortunately, Denise’s sassy attitude and New York accent get lost along the way, resulting in a bland and prosaic description of a place that leans heavily on Sunday school imagery, complete with clouds and robes (though, in this case, bathrobes). The book consists largely of benignly cartoonish illustrations by Krasinski, some of which take up whole pages and others of which are joined by a sentence or two of Denise’s chatter. Smith’s heaven is a place stuffed with conversations in rocking chairs and “Reunion Days” with relatives who joined the community earlier. (Introverts might want to make alternate arrangements for the afterlife.) Heaven’s residents can sit by the pool or beach, play with dead dogs, babysit dead children whose parents are still “earthside,” or disguise themselves as butterflies to visit those who have “Not Yet Passed.” Those looking for Smith’s goofy humor would be best advised to return to her social media. Even Tammy the Vengeful Ghost, one of her wildest creations, shows up thoroughly domesticated here, reassuring the reader that “Good hearts, you’ll find, come in all shapes and sizes.” Unobjectionable but banal, the book is loaded with greeting card sentiments such as “Grief is just love in a different outfit” and “You haven’t passed away, you’ve just passed on.” Smith’s work is unmistakably well-intentioned. No one can argue that forgiveness, an act that comes up repeatedly, is of value. And her sunny K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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heaven welcomes all comers, never hinting that readers or their friends and relatives might have any other post-life destination. But the book is drained of the life that makes Smith’s social media creation such a hoot. For better or worse, an everlasting church picnic.

The Eureka Machine: Why AI Is the Key to Unlocking a New Era of Scientific Discoveries Socher, Richard | PublicAffairs (288 pp.) $30 | September 22, 2026 | 9781541705708

How developments in artificial intelligence may continue to transform the world. A pioneer in the development of artificial intelligence, Socher offers here a deeply informed—and deeply optimistic—account of the myriad ways in which emergent technologies are rapidly accelerating advances in nearly every scientific field, from medicine to economics to astronomy. This is a book that will, no doubt, be of interest to other experts, but no expert knowledge is required to follow its arguments: Socher’s precise explanations of how, for instance, new drug discoveries are being made, or how the building blocks of life are being manipulated to construct new organisms, are wonderfully clear and comprehensible. Also compelling are the author’s predictions about how the forms and functions of AI might soon evolve. In one particularly resonant passage near the end of the book, he speculates on how AI might, in assuming a kind of god-­ like sentience, grow to take control of its own evolution: “Ultimately, an advanced intelligence might seek complete dominion over its own computational substrate, reshaping the very matter from which its intelligence emerges.” To those who view the ascent of machine powers with skepticism or alarm, Socher will likely seem somewhat zealously narrow in his optimism that the expansion of K IR KU S R E V IE W S

human knowledge and control through these powers will be more than adequate compensation for the paradoxical loss of agency they also bring. AI will not usurp human creativity, he insists, but ultimately “expand the creative possibility space itself.” Nevertheless, this narrative of coming scientific and social transformations is remarkably astute and straightforward in charting how, exactly, a “new era” is dawning and what its awesome technical dimensions might be. An insider’s richly detailed yet accessible view of AI’s positive potential.

Clyde Stubblefield: Rhythms of the Funky Drummer Steinberg, D. Leah | Univ. of Georgia (280 pp.) | $28.95 paper | October 1, 2026 9780820377711

James Brown is the Godfather of Soul, but his stalwart drummer, Clyde Stubblefield, could be the Godfather of Funk. When recruiting the young Stubblefield from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to join his band in the mid-1960s, Brown was already in the midst of a musical transition. He called it “a brand-new bag,” focusing more on grooves than songcraft. As Steinberg writes in her biography, Stubblefield was such a polyrhythmic phenomenon that his pairing with holdover drummer John “Jabo” Starks supplied all the propulsion this new music required. He was the bedrock for hits that followed, as Brown would encourage the band to explore that polyrhythmic interplay and then dash off some lyrics. The result was “Cold Sweat” and “I Got the Feelin’”—and the whole Sex Machine album. Brown wasn’t much for sharing the credit or the wealth, so the creative contributions of the musicians were little heralded. From his six years in the band, Stubblefield left an indelible imprint, which grew larger after the emerging hip-hop sampling made his break from “Funky Drummer” ubiquitous. After leaving Brown in the early ’70s, he settled

in Madison, Wisconsin, where Steinberg was a student who became an ardent fan. “I met him when I wandered into a small, almost empty bar late one night in the mid-nineties during the dead of winter in Madison,” she writes. “As a result of that chance encounter, we became friends. We stayed in touch for years, off and on, until his death in 2017.” Stubblefield served as a mentor for musicians in the university town, and much of the book details what a shining example he set. He wasn’t much for rehearsing, and he didn’t give lessons, but he was a living lesson to all he encountered, both in the way he played and the way he treated others (so unlike the tyrannical Brown). The survey of musical development and social impact are basic, but a reporting trip to Chattanooga and interviews with Stubblefield’s former bandmates and acolytes give warmth to the portrait here. Better later than never, a drummer receives some payback for all that he gave to music.

Inconceivable: The Impossibility of Family in an Age of Uncertainty Sussman, Anna Louie | Dey Street/ HarperCollins (352 pp.) | $29.99 | September 8, 2026 | 9780063046337

An investigation of falling birth rates around the globe. In her first book, journalist Sussman examines the reasons both personal and political why women and couples are either choosing not to have children or not having the children they would like to. “In the span of a generation, having a kid had gone from a cause for celebration to a leading cause of insolvency,” she writes. Much of the book focuses on the problems faced by young people in the United States, from the pressures of housing and student debt to the exorbitant costs of fertility treatment and child care. But she also considers issues of fertility elsewhere. The author looks at the perplexing fact that fertility has also SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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declined precipitously in countries such as Norway, where social welfare makes economic pressures on childbearing considerably less than in, for one, Korea, where both women and men are “skeptical of marriage.” She moves between looking at broad social trends to considering the stories of individuals, such as a woman who earned both an M.D. and a Ph.D. before considering dating at age 36, as well as a Polish woman who wasn’t legally allowed as a single woman to access the embryos she had stored at a fertility clinic until she moved them abroad. Sussman, single and in her mid-30s, also interweaves her own complicated relationship with the prospect of parenthood. Not ready to have children but not willing to give up the possibility, she had her eggs frozen in Europe when she was in her early 30s. The book’s finale provides an update to her story, as well as to those of many of the other individuals and couples she has introduced to the reader, some of whom are happy and others not so much. The book raises as many questions as it answers and encourages readers to re-evaluate their own preconceptions about fertility. A broad-ranging, personal and tentatively hopeful look at the challenges of fertility.

Kirkus Star

Thinking From Black: A Lexicon The Practicing Refusal Collective | Ed. by Tina M. Campt et al. | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (368 pp.) | $20 paper | September 8, 2026 9780374620080

A set of critical tools to further Black resistance to things as they are. Made up of scholars, writers, and artists from around the world, the Practicing Refusal Collective here gathers essays, poems, art, and other work that speaks to the “practice of refusal,” which, in turn, “names the group’s rejection of the idea that the current status quo of black life is 72

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Resistance to “the current status quo of black life.” THINKING FROM BLACK

livable.” Akin to Raymond Williams’ classic Marxist lexicon Keywords (1976), the volume locates ways to “think it from black,” to understand a term—say, anarchy, the subject of the first two entries—in the context of Black life and thought. Black anarchism, writes William C. Anderson, was founded by revolutionary activists “who shifted left of leftism after certain critical experiences” and who offered a critique of classical anarchism’s foundations in European thought. In the entry for “Blacksound,” a useful portmanteau, Matthew D. Morrison writes of “the structures and systems that have allowed for the extraction, manipulation, standardization, consumption, exploitation, and absorption of black musical practices by the masses since slavery.” Nyong’o, one of the volume’s editors, examines the term “fascism,” so wide in circulation today, and locates a Black dimension in it. Where some may see it as an aberration, it is business as usual for those who live daily under oppression: “Fascism is not an interruption, but a continuity—a dream of domination that must be refused again and again.” Property, resilience, risk, being seen—­ these and many more terms, nearly a hundred in all, offer fresh avenues of thought. Altogether, the volume contributes materially to, as J Wortham writes in a charged essay on “Dissociation” in the psychological sense, “the possibility of another world beyond the known one…to do more than escape shame, to create new ways of being.” A welcome reference, packed with cutting-edge Black thought across a range of disciplines and traditions.

For more on Black life, visit Kirkus online.

How To Exi(s)t: A Poet’s Memoir Tran, Truong | City Lights (240 pp.) | $16.95 paper | October 6, 2026 | 9780872869493

A poet exposes the multifaceted layers of his life. Tran’s unique autobiography first probes his experiences as a thriving poet and self-­described “immigrant writer of the English language.” He reveals his need for clarity and self-censoring, his life as an Asian gay man in San Francisco, elaborating on time spent in a writer’s residency, and his anger and resentment at the racial warfare he’d fallen prey to at the academic level. Unconventional and nonlinear in structure, the author’s history, poetic conscience, and varied perspectives are presented through a series of clipped, page-long essays, memories, and intimate stories that move backward and forward in time, reiterating his evolution as a poet, an academic, and an immigrant. Tran’s prose speaks directly to the reader and offers opinions and perspectives that are superbly barbed and lushly poetic all at once. One of the book’s more powerful impressions relate directly to his 2021 work, Book of the Other, which skewered the institutional academic racism and discrimination he’d experienced. These sentiments are examined, again, in an entry about navigating a precarious lecturing opportunity at an Ivy League college and the overdue race education he spontaneously delivered to a fellow academic with he’d once shared an office. When voicing K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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viewpoints on human dignity, respect, and equality, Tran’s words are justified and assertive, yet his literary charisma shines just as brightly in the book’s lyrical, more nostalgic sketches about family and friends, childhood memories, aging (he is 57), the nagging agony of losing cherished people or possessions, or being a poet burdened with dyslexia. He writes, “How does one exist as a writer when one is filled with the dread of reading?” Collectively, these creatively conceived and delightfully personal pieces offer an insider’s perspective into a poet’s heart and soul. A wise, reflective self-portrait shimmering with genuine emotion and bracing honesty.

Citizen Kim: The Woman Who Created the Future Van Meter, Jonathan | Viking (352 pp.) $32 | October 27, 2026 | 9780593300114

A case for taking Kim Kardashian more seriously. Having profiled the Kardashians twice in 2019, journalist and celebrity biographer Van Meter presents this laudatory biography fully authorized by the celebrity and her close-knit family. Gleaned from hours of interview material with Kim at her palatial Hidden Hills, California, home alongside generous and revealing side profiles of her family, Van Meter hopes to dispel the notion that she’s a “talentless empty vessel,” and instead, a formidable woman who has worked tirelessly to amass a $2 billion fortune from entrepreneurial ventures, a reality show franchise, and much more. He diligently traces the Kardashians’ extended Armenian American family ancestry, including sections covering mother Kris’ messy extramarital affair and subsequent divorce from Robert Kardashian, and its harmful effects on her children. Van Meter goes back to K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Kim’s humble beginnings as Paris Hilton’s friend, then as her assistant in the mid-2000s, and her ascent from reality television caricature to a culturally relevant businesswoman, fashion icon, social media influencer, aspiring litigator, and globally omnipresent personality. Van Meter writes that Kardashian family loyalty and their modern “matriarchy” formed the sturdy foundation of their unified popularity and wealth early on. Siblings Kourtney, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie, brother Rob, and “momager” Kris all share in the group’s successes, but Van Meter raises more eyebrows from the family’s dramatic disappointments such as Kim and then-boyfriend Ray J’s 2003 sex tape, Kim’s “wedding fiasco” to Kris Humphries, the family’s proximity to the O.J. Simpson ordeal, a horrifying home invasion, and “the unraveling of Kanye West.” The nonlinear biography is tabloid-frothy and intimately revealing, and Van Meter delivers the dizzying melodrama while validating the Kardashian luxury lifestyle and Kim and Kris’, in particular, “innate television savvy.” Ultimately, the verdict of however “misunderstood” Kim and company are (or if they are deserving of deeper thought) will remain with the reader. An oddly lionizing biography that, despite a micromanaged feel, will engross fans and followers.

Kirkus Star

The Book of Genocides Walrath, Dana Mashoian | Harvard Univ. (424 pp.) | $24.95 paper | September 8, 2026 9780674299054

History’s killing fields. The author of a verse novel about the Armenian genocide (Like Water on Stone, 2014), Walrath examines genocides throughout history in this inspired and affecting pairing of images and prose.

“I come to this project as a descendant of Indigenous Armenians forcibly displaced from our ancestral homelands by genocide,” she writes, acknowledging that, as an American, she lives in a country “doubly built on genocide, through settler-colonization (invasion) and enslavement.…I share the stories of others in solidarity.” Mixing line drawings, pencil sketches, and watercolors with collages of photographs and sepia-toned pages from an old zoology textbook that belonged to her mother, she presents a searing amalgam of visual elements. To show the many ways that “human beings can dehumanize each other,” she includes “interactive” sections: portraits that can be cut into thirds for a “turn-the-flap” book whose subjects “transform back and forth between human beast, predator, vermin, parasite.” The book surveys 10 genocides, beginning with the “decimation” of America’s Indigenous population and closing with the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar. Walrath’s dispassionate tone makes her account all the more potent, and her images are especially powerful. She depicts several genocidal leaders—from Cambodia’s Pol Pot to Bosnian Serb war criminals—in haunting black-andwhite illustrations whose colors are inverted, as in a photo negative. In a chapter on the Holocaust, she incorporates a description of “blood libel”—the centuries-old accusation that Jews murdered Christian children for their blood—within a painted red drop that fills the page. One of the chapters focuses on the plight of Palestinians; she writes that “unfathomable Israeli retribution has followed” the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. The book is harrowing, but Walrath ends on a hopeful note. “Only governments can commit genocide, the systematic elimination of a people,” she writes. “They do so to amass power, resources, and land. Every act of connection across a divide brings us one step closer to ending, preventing, and healing from genocide.” A highly creative and devastating overview of a grim and global phenomenon.

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Children's

MAHNAZ DAR

THERE’S SOMETHING about the axolotl that’s capturing the imaginations of children’s book authors. Is it the feathery gills? The ability to regenerate lost body parts? The fact that axolotl is really fun to say? These aquatic salamanders have inspired countless recent picture books; my favorite is Kate Messner and Lian Cho’s Axolotl-­Ella: A Sort-of Cinderella Story (Ten Speed Press, June 2), in which the title character leaves behind not a glass slipper but one of her arms. Close behind the axolotl is the capybara, the world’s largest rodent, known for its laid-back temperament—and now for its starring role in numerous kids’ books, among them Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and Anne Appert’s Happybaras (Little, Brown, July 7), an opposites-attract friendship tale marked by supremely clever wordplay. Axolotls and capybaras may rule the roost today, but 74

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based on the recent crop of animal picture books, I predict some competition on the horizon. First up: eels. What they lack in cuddliness they make up for with an air of enigma, as Nicholas Day observes in A Riddle of Eels, illustrated by Corey R. Tabor (Random House Studio, Sept. 8). For centuries, philosophers and scientists have attempted to shed light on these creatures, yet mysteries persist (their exact lifespan and reproduction habits, for instance). Day raises questions rather than answering them; this is a thought-provoking meditation on knowledge itself that will leave readers excited to seek out—and solve—other mysteries. Spiders typically elicit shudders, but Chris Baker’s Weaver and the Web (Godwin Books, July 7), illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler, just may convince readers to see them in a new light. Our

protagonist, a spotted orbweaver, isn’t exactly cute, but she is truly striking. More importantly, she’s a gifted artist, crafting her web with the same care a painter might take with their canvas…and diligently remaking her masterpiece after it’s accidentally destroyed by humans. Often unfairly maligned, spiders have ideal PR reps in Baker and Eggenschwiler; not since Charlotte’s Web have we seen such an admirable arachnid. Viewed by some as harbingers of death or bad luck, corvids, too, know what it’s like to get bad press. Gideon Sterer’s Gifts From Crows, illustrated by Shadra Strickland (Clarion/ HarperCollins, Aug. 18), shows readers a different side of these birds: their loyalty. Sterer tells the story of a real-life Seattle girl, Gabi Mann, who in 2011 began leaving food for local crows; in return, they left buttons,

screws, and other trinkets on her lawn. The author bolsters his compelling narrative with facts about these birds’ intelligence and their rich social lives (they even hold funerals for their deceased). Can a brainless, spineless animal captivate youngsters? Absolutely—readers of Carole Boston Weatherford’s Fourteen Ways of Looking at Jellyfish (Candlewick, May 26) will be awestruck. Lovingly crafted poems explore different facets of these sea creatures: their long history (“three times / as ancient as dinosaurs”), their gracefulness (“slow-motion water ballet”), and the danger that the box jellyfish’s beauty belies (they “kill more humans than sharks do”). Weatherford’s verse varies in tone, from contemplative to theatrical; illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline matches her words with wildly diverse artistic styles. Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Illustration by Eric Scot t Ander son

FEATURED CREATURES

CHILDREN'S

EDITOR’S PICK A girl goes on a whirl­ wind voyage across the sea in this fantasy set in an alternate 1719. After being abandoned by her light-fingered mother, “clapperdudgeon, pickpurse” Lavender Wolfe is rescued by the ship’s cook, Big Agatha, and taken aboard the Good Marchioness, a cursed pirate ship with a magical crew. Blond-haired Lavender is given a new name—Hans Whitby— and put to work in the kitchen along with a ragtag group of other children. At first, she resists everything about this life, but as her past fades away she finds strength in her new role

These Titles Earned the Kirkus Star

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and begins to feel that she was “meant for the sea.” Lavender discovers that she can hear the voice of the wind, a magical gift that makes her an asset to Captain Pleasant, a violet-eyed woman with a facial scar and a wing in place of her right arm. Lavender learns more about the ship’s curse, which is connected to their present quest. All the while, she forms meaningful bonds, making a home for herself among the crew. The riveting characters, occasional atmospheric art, whimsical recipes, and vivid prose together create a captivating, immersive reading experience.

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Backpack By Katie Arthur

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That Beautiful Mind By Tami Charles & Christopher Charles; illus. by Nikkolas Smith

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The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe Foxlee, Karen | Illus. by Martina Heiduczek Sarah Barley Books/Simon & Schuster | 400 pp. November 10, 2026 | $19.99 | 9798347114788

Lavender’s growth from scrappy thief to courageous pirate is inspiring, and the nature of the magic gives the worldbuilding a charming, folksy quality. The immensely lovable cast inhabiting an inclusive

Same Time, Next Week? By Marlene Droop; trans. by Alisha Niehaus Berger

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Endless Afternoons By Gaël Faye; illus. by Suhaiyla Hippolyte; trans. by Irene Vázquez

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The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe By Karen Foxlee; illus. by Martina Heiduczek

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Buffalo Ways By Deidre Havrelock; illus. by William Burns

shipboard world forms the beating heart of the book. Most characters present white; there’s some diversity in skin tone. A wonderfully enchanting adventure. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 8-12)

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What Shall We Tell You? By Wade Hudson; illus. by Tonya Engel

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Here Comes the Band By Shadra Strickland; illus. by John Holyfield

No Ungapatchka! By Deborah Kerbel; illus. by Yaara Eshet

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Rowan and Gemma By Sally J. Pla

The Horse Dreamer By Holly Surplice 10 Shocking Facts About Capybaras By Mélanie Watt

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A striking story of transformation, from black gold to bold beats.

general enough that a variety of readers will easily relate. Conscientious representation of a specific Christian reference. (Picture book. 3-7)

REBORN

Kirkus Star

Chloe Vega and the Missing Unseen Adame, Leslie | Harper/HarperCollins (352 pp.) $19.99 | October 6, 2026 | 9780063342040 Series: Chloe Vega and the Agents of Magic, 2

Thirteen-year-­ old Chloe Vega returns for her second year at the Academy for Earth’s Agents of Magic. After rescuing Mamá and Papá from Osthall, the dark sorcerer determined to strip the nonmagical of their rights, Chloe is bonded to the powerful gold opal gem. As she attempts to master its immense magic, she fears losing control and harming those she cares about. Under pressure from the academy’s leadership to harness the opal gem’s abilities, Chloe does accidentally injure a friend, leaving classmates wary of her just as Osthall and his followers prepare to strike again. The battle between good and evil unfolds alongside the Vega parents’ ongoing challenges as undocumented immigrants from Mexico living in the U.S. While coping with the ever-present threat of deportation, Chloe must balance the demands of her magical training with concern for her family and the strain her unpredictable powers have on her friendships. This entry deepens the moral complexity introduced in the first book, exploring the ways that even well-intentioned heroes can cause harm and suggesting that some villains may be driven by ideals that are understandable. Packed with action and meaningful emotional stakes, this sequel expands Chloe’s magical world

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while continuing to examine timely themes of identity and justice.

Compelling and character-driven fantasy with plenty of heart. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Love Is… Adams, Michelle Medlock | Illus. by Sue Teodoro | Penguin Workshop (40 pp.) $10.99 | December 15, 2026 | 9798217141364

A musing on a most profound act. Adams takes inspiration from the Bible verses in 1 Corinthians (the full text from the New International Version is included at the end of the book), recounting the attributes of love in its purest and best form. She includes brief excerpts of the verse (for instance, “Love is patient”), then adds a rhyming couplet to expand on that quality while simultaneously making it pertinent to younger readers: “It doesn’t mind waiting its turn. / Love takes its time, so others learn.” The illustrations give even more specific examples—a child is nervous to jump off a diving board, but others still in line and already in the pool show encouragement. Each two-page spread continues in this fashion. Adams’ rhymes flow well enough; it helps that they’re spaced out by the biblical phrases. Two of the pages specifically mention religious practices—praising God instead of boasting and praying “when things aren’t going right.” Rendered in cool tones, Teodoro’s illustrations depict racially diverse, cartoonlike people in soft scenes that include subtle shading and interspersed digital textures. This title should make a good addition to Sunday school readings; the scenes are

Backpack Arthur, Katie | Owlkids Books (40 pp.) $18.95 | August 25, 2026 | 9781771477253

A paean to a beloved childhood staple. “It carries all the bits and bobbles of your life, held together with a squish and a zip.” While the good-natured, toothy backpack on the cover of this book is the focus of this title’s praise, this isn’t a story about the jolly adventures of an anthropomorphized carryall. This backpack, belonging to a brown-skinned child, is simply…well, a backpack. We learn all the wonderful things it can do—like serving as the perfect pillow for a nap underneath a tree. Beginning with the first day of first grade, readers watch the backpack traverse the seasons until, at long last, it joins the child once more for the first day of second grade. Arthur’s simplicity of language and calming cadences set the perfect tone from the start. “It’s a very nice thing to wear your backpack.” Never pandering or talking down to young readers, the text has a warm and comforting feel. Marvelous mixed-media art pops on the page, giving a three-dimensionality to the interstitial scenes. The young child at the center of this book appears to be from a two-mom household (one parent is brown-skinned; the other is pale-skinned). A perfect back-to-school title that perfectly praises a sturdy, true friend. (Picture book. 3-7) For more back-toschool reads, visit Kirkus online.

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Reborn: Trinidad’s Steelpan Bally, Neesa | Illus. by Danijel Žeželj Reycraft Books (32 pp.) | $18.95 August 4, 2026 | 9781478889649

A discarded oil barrel, “once a vessel for black gold,” embarks on a new life as a steelpan drum. Discovered half-buried on a Trinidadian beach, the barrel is carted away in a wheelbarrow by a lone, dark-skinned craftsperson to begin its musical metamorphosis. The maestro stretches and warps the metal, pounding it with a mallet, heating it in an oven, and carefully marking and hammering each new groove. This meticulous process continues until every dent is perfected and the finished steelpan is finely tuned and ready to play. The transformation carries powerful symbolism, embodying the music of the people of Trinidad and Tobago and their history, creating more value from the drum’s music than from the “black gold” that once filled the barrel. Told in spare, lyrical verse from the barrel’s perspective, Bally’s introduction to the steelpan offers a glimpse into its history, supplemented by a bit of backmatter (which also lists several early steelpan pioneers). Žeželj’s gritty, graphic novel– inspired illustrations combine stark black-and-white imagery with moody, color-splashed backdrops. Rough linework, dramatic shadows, and collagelike panels heighten emotional intensity. A striking story of transformation, from black gold to bold beats. (Informational picture book. 5-8)

Click! Snap! Picture That! Böge, Dieter | Illus. by Benjamin Gottwald Trans. by David Henry Wilson | NorthSouth (48 pp.) | $19.95 | September 8, 2026 9780735846388

A dozen-plus animals wish to see themselves as something other than their everyday selves. Animals are marvels just as K IR KU S R E V IE W S

they are, but the ones featured in this book long for pictures of themselves doing something out of character. “The frog wishes it could have a picture of itself as a super goalie”; a corresponding illustration shows the soccer-playing frog making a heroic save. “The trout would like a picture of itself boating with its brother”; two beaming trout are depicted oaring a small boat. The book’s art is cartoonish in line and color but more involved in composition. “The cockatoo would be proud to have a portrait of itself painted by a painter” finds the bird sitting in a chair in front of wallmounted masterworks—Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Edvard Munch’s The Scream, and so on—in which its own likeness has replaced the central figures. Is this book, first published in Germany, a comment on our pics-or-it-didn’t-­ happen world? Is the point that readers should picture themselves in different contexts? Or are these images just the whimsical products of Böge’s and Gottwald’s imaginations? Readers likely won’t need clarity here: Each of the book’s incongruous illustrations (a lion swinging on a swing, a wild boar shredding on electric guitar) should be good for a smile. Could be an argument for thinking outside the box. Could be just a series of funny illustrations. Works either way. (Picture book. 4-8)

What if There Are Alligators? Brenna, Beverley | Pajama Press (176 pp.) $18.95 | September 15, 2026 | 9781772783797

An anxious Canadian boy finds his footing helping out on his aunt’s goat farm. Summer has just started, and 9-year-old Belvin Bowmeister has a list of worries. Two of the top six concern alligators, along with making decisions and being late. His more confident twin brother, Beaman, will be attending summer camp this year while Belvin, on his own for the first time, is joining Aunt Edna on her

rural goat farm in Saskatchewan. After some initial bumps, Belvin is surprised at how much he enjoys spending time with the goats (and the rabbits and the donkey) as he becomes adept at mucking stalls and wrangling the local daycare kids who visit. Belvin and Ellie, a neighbor girl his own age, become fast and supportive friends, bonding over a plan to help Aunt Edna, drowning under the weight of bills, save the farm. Aunt Edna’s optimism and quiet good sense make her an ideal foil for shy, insecure Belvin, who obsessively ponders and researches apex predators, one of his greatest fears. Belvin’s thoughts and emotions feel believable as he realizes he likes his new independence and opens up to Ellie about his biological father, whom he’s never met. The concepts of animal birth and death are deftly handled as Belvin comes to terms with the circle of life. Rich vocabulary paired with brisk pacing keeps things lively. Characters’ physical descriptors are minimal. Poignant, uplifting, and humorous. (information on mountain lions and other apex predators) (Fiction. 7-10)

Illustrated Grimm’s Fairy Tales Brocklehurst, Ruth & Gillian Doherty Illus. by Raffaella Ligi | Usborne (304 pp.) $19.99 | October 6, 2026 | 9781836054757

Fifteen of the Brothers Grimm’s more buoyant tales, lightly sifted and sweetened for younger audiences. While the tales—beginning with “Snow White and Rose Red” and going on to include “The Bear and the Wren,” “Tom Thumb,” and “King Thrushbeard,” among other more familiar chestnuts—follow the originals in general, the authors have made a few changes to the narratives, mostly to reduce violence. Yes, the big bad wolf still eats Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, but rather than SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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proving fatal, the noisy stomach full of rocks he gets in exchange actually earns him gigs from farmers as a scarecrow. Similarly, the Goose Girl’s talking silver stallion, Falada, survives intact rather than being decapitated, and the frog prince doesn’t need to be thrown against a wall to transform. The language has been modernized too. “It’s probably just a phase,” thinks the bewildered king of his daughters, the 12 dancing princesses, and when the prince asks for the revived 16-year-old Briar Rose’s hand in marriage, her delighted father exclaims, “What are we waiting for?” The rapunzel plants in the illustrations disappointingly do not resemble real ones, but even the bad actors in Ligi’s cleanly drawn cast of light-skinned princes, princesses, swains, and country lasses have delicate, graceful airs and features. Somewhat bland retellings introduce sensitive readers to classics from the Brothers Grimm. (profile of the Brothers Grimm) (Folktales. 8-10)

Jalen Plays It All Brunson, Jalen | Illus. by Neely Daggett Feiwel & Friends (40 pp.) | $19.99 November 24, 2026 | 9781250456984

The NBA champ recounts the circuitous route he took to finding his game. As the book opens, Brunson is pictured suited up on the basketball court, working the ball in the spotlight’s glare: “Everyone sees me like this now.” But how did he get here? “Let me take you back to where it all began,” he says. The next scene finds young Jalen hesitant to get in a swimming pool (“What if I sink?”). He takes the plunge, after which “swim kicks become soccer kicks,” and suddenly he’s in the midst of a game (“I kick—and miss. By a LOT”), after which “the ball spins into a football.” On go young Brunson’s sports experiments: baseball, tennis, and finally basketball, when “something clicks.” The point: In order to arrive, he first had to hit those 78

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dead ends; as the adult Brunson tells a group of racially diverse young fans, “All of these sports made me who I am today.” Brunson’s literary debut is a cut above the typical celebrity foray into kid lit. Rather than straining for lyricism or humor, he offers mellow, conversation-­ style observations in what comes across as his authentic voice. Likewise, Daggett’s Photoshop art has a genial, unforced sweetness that makes her subject seem like—could it be?—a regular guy. Childhood photos of Brunson close out the tale. As perseverance-themed picture books go, this one scores. (Picture book. 4-8)

Dogs Smell Like Corn Chips: 12 Animals That Smell Surprisingly Like Snacks (and 1 That Definitely Doesn’t!) Byrnes, Kellie | Illus. by Clau Souza Sourcebooks eXplore (40 pp.) | $14.99 December 1, 2026 | 9781464238048

Weird science comes for the animals. “Do you smell candy canes?…Try again. That’s not a candy cane! It’s…a peppermint stick insect!” The grinning insect is just one of the animals introduced in this consideration of the peculiar, usually adaptive odors given off by various creatures. Following a crash course in the basics that begins “Every time you smell something, your nose and your brain work together to figure out what it is,” Byrnes spotlights a series of familiar aromas emitted by a variety of animals, both domestic (dog, pig) and wild (binturong, kakapo). For each specimen, Byrnes explains the science behind the stink (“If disturbed, peppermint stick insects squirt out a milky-white liquid to scare off predators. This secretion has a strong peppermint smell and comes from glands behind the insect’s head”). All the featured smells are appetizing (popcorn, brownies, and so on)…with one exception: “Can you smell that awful odor? It could be rotten meat, but really it’s…a hoopoe!” Byrnes has

equal command of the book’s scientific content and humor potential, the latter of which Souza exploits in chunky, gag­filled digital art. One of the funniest illustrations finds a beaver, who has just emanated the scent of vanilla ice cream, looking a little guilty (beavers “release slime-like stuff called castoreum from sacs on their behinds”), although the creature is no less adorable for this etiquette breach. Strange but true animal facts. Funny-as-heck delivery system. (list of animals, sources) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

The Tree That Will Be Cañas, Daniel | Illus. by Mar Azabal | Trans. by Jon Brokenbrow | Cuento de Luz (32 pp.) $19.95 | October 6, 2026 | 9788410438316

A Spanish import lauds the importance of trees. A youngster notices a tree sprouting in a park and imagines all the possibilities of what the tree may become. Some of the lyrical thoughts are logical: “Perhaps a sturdy hammock / with a backrest strong and deep, / where I’ll lie down to read stories / before I fall asleep.” These words are accompanied by an illustration of the child settling into a cozy, curved nook between the branches. Others are more fanciful. After the speculation that “maybe it will be a comb / made entirely of wood, / and shape the clouds as they pass / as a gentle stylist should,” the limbs create whales and giraffes as the clouds wisp through. The tree is cast in many scenarios as both a refuge and a playful object. It stands tall on all spreads, with fiery red leaves mixing with musical notes, or spindly branches reaching toward a luminous moon. The translation holds the gentle whimsy close and sets the tone for this quiet musing on nature’s incredible power. The main protagonist has pale skin and blond hair, but friends of all skin tones join.

An interwoven journey of respect for both the arboreal world and soaring imagination. (Picture book. 4-8)

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Monkey Dragon Rabbit!: A Wild Lunar New Year Stampede Chan, MeiLin | Illus. by Kristen Chow Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (40 pp.) $18.99 | December 1, 2026 | 9781464227783

Young Tai is supposed to be cleaning up for Lunar New Year, but he can’t resist opening a gift from his grand­father early. Tai, a child of Chinese descent, is looking forward to tomorrow’s festivities, but first, Mama needs him to help tidy the house. “Messes bring bad luck,” she tells him. When Mama goes outside to work in the yard, Tai gets distracted by a red envelope from Yeye. He can’t help taking a peek, hoping for his favorite chocolate coins. “IT’S EVEN BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE”—Amazing Grow Zodiac Animals! He drops a small blue monkey into the sink full of water, and within moments, a full-size monkey comes to life. And before Tai can stop it, the monkey dumps the whole package of toys in the sink. Suddenly, the house is full of a dozen animals of all colors and sizes. A purple rabbit dangles from the decorations, a pink pig and a yellow ox with purple horns eat the treats laid on the table, a yellow dog knocks over a potted plant, and a long pink dragon flies through the air. What a mess! When Mama appears at the door, Tai and the animals freeze in a hilariously contrite tableau, then more than make it up to her. Chow uses vibrant colors, a variety of composition styles, and engaging characterizations to bring excitement to a straightforward story filled with references to the holiday’s traditions. Chan rounds it all out with useful

backmatter that includes a chart of the zodiac animals. Whimsical Lunar New Year fun. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Star

That Beautiful Mind Charles, Tami & Christopher Charles | Illus. by Nikkolas Smith | Orchard/Scholastic (40 pp.) $19.99 | October 6, 2026 | 9781546116387

Tami Charles and her son Christopher team up for a reflection on neurodivergence, rooted in Christopher’s own experiences. “Some days it feels like my mind doesn’t work right,” a young Black boy confides. Parents and older relatives help the child draw out his talents. At home, his imagination runs wild; on the basketball court, he’s a force to be reckoned with, and in the kitchen, his culinary skills are unmatched. He’s “curious / and / hilarious / and wondrously free.” But “out there,” in school and in front of others, he is misunderstood and judged for his forgetfulness, his talkativeness, and his tardiness—behaviors that don’t define him. With support from others and through techniques such as deep breathing, he overcomes his challenges and fears about the different way his mind works to let his brilliance show. Smith relies on energetic brushstrokes, sketchy lines, and varied palettes and compositions; his signature style is well suited to the subject matter, conveying the narrator’s feelings as he moves through chaos into comfort and calm. Dynamic layouts and thoughtful text design add a layer of engagement to

Strange but true animal facts. Funny-as-heck delivery system. DOGS SMELL LIKE CORN CHIPS

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the reading experience. Making compelling use of figurative language, the authors’ rhythmic, immersive verse evokes a youngster’s exuberance and playfulness. This thoughtful collaboration successfully conveys the struggles and joys of one youngster’s experience with neurodivergence while educating and captivating readers. A dazzling and unapologetic portrait of a child unafraid to think differently. (author’s notes, illustrator’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Freedom’s Eve: A Story of Watch Night Courtney, Pamela | Illus. by Keisha Morris Farrar, Straus and Giroux (40 pp.) | $18.99 October 13, 2026 | 9780374392826

A youngster prepares to honor the ancestors on Watch Night— with help from her beloved grandmother. Per the book’s author’s note, Watch Night commemorates the evening of December 31, 1862 (known as Freedom’s Eve), when freed and enslaved Black Americans gathered to “[thank] God for the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.” Young Eve-Lynn, a Black girl with cornrows and beads, loves to celebrate the occasion; the family’s quilt (called Storyteller) depicts the family’ first Watch Night, led by Lil’ Eve, Eve-Lynn’s namesake. Tonight, for the first time, Eve-Lynn will lead the celebration, but she worries: “Can I be the leader Lil’ Eve was?” Eve-Lynn snuggles up in Storyteller for comfort, but when the quilt rips, Eve-Lynn and Gramsy must repair both the quilt and the child’s confidence. Finding a creative way to literally weave herself into the narrative, Eve-Lynn becomes more entwined with Watch Night history than she could have imagined. Morris’ detailed artwork is both child-friendly and sophisticated, combining textures and layers with soothing palettes in a distinctive collage style that evokes the quilts and family history central to the story. Courtney offers a meaningful and SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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accessible introduction to a chapter of history that many may be unaware of, connecting readers to the past in a moving and unforgettable way.

A thought-provoking and emotionally resonant window into the past. (Emancipation Proclamation) (Picture book. 4-8)

All I Want for Christmas: A Holiday Countdown Crede, Phaea | Illus. by Suji Park Disney-Hyperion (32 pp.) | $12.99 September 29, 2026 | 9781368119177 Series: Holiday Critter Countdown

In this clever riff on the novelty song “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth,” an adorably earnest reindeer encounters a big problem. “I lotht my front baby teeth!” wails Reina, who can no longer pronounce the letter S. The upcoming Holiday Jamboree is just 12 days away—how will Reina handle the big solo? Reina’s teacher and mother both offer reassurance, but Reina decides to “take matterth into my own hooveth,” first with replacement teeth, then with a letter to Santa. Unfortunately, the cutoff date for mail to reach the North Pole has passed, so Reina decides to walk there, accompanied by two friends. They brave obstacles, but when they arrive, they discover that Santa’s workshop is closed in preparation for the big day. Their parents pick them up, and the concert is nigh. But Reina invites the others to be part of the song, and they all sing joyfully together. Park’s digital illustrations depict the young reindeer with big eyes and small antlers, wearing patterned vests in a variety of colors and patterns; Reina’s is red and white, and our young hero wears a green scarf. Red ribbons with white text show the countdown to Christmas in the upper left corner of each page spread, amping up the tension as the clock ticks down to a satisfying conclusion. A sweet, original retelling of the Yuletide earworm. (Picture book. 4-8) 80

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I’ll Love You Till More Cows Come Home

Odo and the Big, Giant Sinkhole

Cristaldi, Kathryn | Illus. by Kristyna Litten Harper/HarperCollins (32 pp.) | $19.99 December 8, 2026 | 9780063574670 Series: I’ll Love You Till

Crowley, Suzanne | Greenwillow Books (352 pp.) | $18.99 | October 27, 2026 9780062352491

The bold, brave bovines from the series starter are back. The cow pair jump over the moon and return with a love song, recited by the unseen narrator (presumably a parent or caregiver): “I will love you till more cows come home // from a deep-sea dive past white sea-foam.” And so it goes: A cub returns from a hike and is embraced by a caregiver (“I will love you till more bears come back / from a camping trip in the Adirondacks”). Dogs race by, lining up at the ice cream truck. Sharks return from a day on a sandy, sunny beach. Parrots sing in the spring, rats charge in from the city, and pigs enjoy the county fair. And after their strenuous fun, all the beasts seek sweet sleep, settling down and snoozing, while the cows drowsily greet their mates or family. As in the earlier series book, the rhymes make this a soothing bedtime read, while the illustrations bring out the summer vibe, with the activities of the season zanily enjoyed by the animals. The creatures are cartoonish but faithful to their natural types. All the dogs are different, and the parrots are a rainbow riot. The colors are soft but intense, and many creatures sport silly or satisfied smiles. The message of unwavering devotion is unmissable, but delivered in an un-sappy way; the antics are ridiculous, but the only thing sillier? The idea that this narrator’s affection could ever run dry.

A tender, joyous, and funny celebration of lasting love. (Picture book. 4-8)

For more by Kathryn Cristaldi, visit Kirkus online.

A boy in rural Texas believes his emotions are responsible for an expanding sinkhole. After 12-yearold Odo Roosevelt Binket’s mama died in a car accident, Odo and his dad moved in with Odo’s grandpa, Old Po, who owns a junkyard on Sweet Dove Mountain. Odo is grieving and doesn’t know how he’ll deal with his OCD and panic-­ anxiety disorder without Mama; his dad seems to care more about the endangered ghost salamanders than about Odo. When Odo unexpectedly makes a friend in Pepper McGill, a girl who embraces his weirdness, things start to look up. But a sinkhole Odo discovered keeps getting bigger, and Old Po’s belief that “the universe multiplies your fears then throws them back to you” makes Odo wonder if it’s his worrying that’s causing the dangerous hole to grow. This character-driven tale has plenty of small-town charm, but the 1970 setting doesn’t feel necessary and detracts from the story with references that young readers likely won’t recognize. Odo is an endearing main character, and although his first-­ person voice doesn’t always feel realistic and sometimes bogs down the already leisurely paced tale, his neurodivergence rings true. His tender and accepting friendship with Pepper is a highlight of the story, but her characterization and some other side plots feel underexplored. A hint of fabulism with possible ghost appearances adds intrigue. Characters present white. An empathetic character study, but the plot elements don’t fully coalesce. (Fiction. 8-12)

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We’re Going on a Parranda!: A Puerto Rican Navidad Story Cuevas, Mayra | Illus. by Mónica Paola Rodriguez | Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster (40 pp.) | $19.99 | September 8, 2026 9781665966368

A Puerto Rican family observes Christmas. It’s the holiday season, and a young girl is joining her family on a parranda, a late-night tradition in which groups surprise friends and neighbors with festive carols accompanied by traditional folk instruments, share food, and continue from house to house. Excited to take part for the very first time, the protagonist soon begins to wonder where she fits in as a parrandera. She tries playing the drums, the güiro, and the panderetas, and even singing, but nothing feels quite right. As the night draws to a close, she worries she may never find her place. Then her Papi hands her a pair of palitos. These short wooden sticks are deeply connected to Puerto Rico’s “precious cancionero” (“the heartbeat of our Island song”), and she’s inspired to make music. At last, she discovers her rhythm and realizes the music has been within her all along, strengthened by the love of her family. Rodriguez’s rich jewel-toned illustrations beautifully capture the energy of the nighttime celebration while showcasing the diversity of Puerto Rican families through a wide range of skin tones. Rhythmic verse and gentle repetition echo the cadence of traditional Christmas songs, immersing readers in the music of the story. The young protagonist’s uncertainty about finding her role feels genuine and relatable, making her eventual confidence especially rewarding. Bursting with warmth, music, and

family tradition, this joyful celebration invites readers to join the festivities. A dynamic and delightful holiday tale. (author’s note, info on musical instruments, Spanish glossary) (Picture book. 3-8)

Autumn’s Abundance: An Indigenous Celebration of Nature Curtice, Kaitlin B. | Illus. by Eduardo Marticorena | Convergent (40 pp.) | $16.99 September 1, 2026 | 9780593577875

A young Indigenous boy celebrates autumn’s arrival and learns to share what he has. Bo and his classmates study the theme of abundance—“when you have a lot of something,” their teacher explains—and begin preparing a special group project. Bo reflects on the gifts that Mother Earth provides and how even with plenty to go around, there are many who go without. This realization sparks an idea for his project; he and his classmates form an abundance club and bring summer crops and cans of food to those in need. Rather than simply celebrating the start of fall, this story also successfully ties in a meaningful concept, setting this tale apart from similar seasonal offerings. Curtice (Potawatomi Nation) incorporates important details from her people’s language and understanding of the natural world, while helping readers ponder the meaning of abundance. She incorporates Potawatomi words (“dgwaget,” meaning autumn, “Mamogosnan,” meaning Creator, and “Segmekwé,” or Mother Earth). Bo refers to Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Moon, and the author explains the autumn equinox as the point when the pair share day and night equally. Bo

A sweet, original retelling of the Yuletide earworm. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

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has brown skin and dark braided hair; his family is multiracial and the supporting cast is diverse. Marticorena’s bright illustrations capture fall’s brilliance as well as Bo and his classmates’ enthusiasm; Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Moon wear smiles as cheery as the youngsters’. A worthy ode to both seasonal beauty and the Potawatomi people. (Picture book. 4-8)

Fairy Ponies Story Collection Davidson, Zanna | Illus. by Barbara Bongini Usborne (288 pp.) | $14.99 | October 6, 2026 9781836054948 | Series: Fairy Ponies

A volume collecting three previously released entries in the Fairy Ponies series: “Midnight Escape,” “Magic Necklace,” and “Rainbow Races.” Inside the hollow of an old oak tree, a tunnel leads to the magical land of Pony Island, where “fairy ponies fly wild and free.” Holly is the only human who can enter this hidden world. When Holly’s parents first dropped her off at her Great-Aunt May’s homey country cottage, she was skeptical; summer should be for spending time with friends, not with a relative she barely knew. The rich girls next door, who have ponies of their own, snubbed her, leaving pony-loving Holly feeling even more discouraged. Even though there’s something special about Great-Aunt May’s place, when Holly saw something fluttering in the grass, she could hardly believe her eyes: It was a tiny winged pony, just like the ones in a painting at Great-Aunt May’s. Kind Holly, who presents white, helped the injured pony, earning the Fairy Ponies’ trust—and a bag of sparkling magic dust that allows her to visit their island. The stand-alone entries follow her exploits and adventures. One-dimensional villains and quickly resolved conflicts keep the stories moving along quickly. Fans of all things shimmering and glittery will appreciate how these bright elements bedazzle even the SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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darkest moments. Bongini’s delicate illustrations, black and white with purple accents, appear throughout, bringing this magical world to life.

Everything you ever wanted to know about chickens. CLUCK!

Fun, sparkle-filled pony magic. (meet the ponies, map) (Fantasy. 6-9)

Stained DeChambeau, Rhonda | Holiday House (352 pp.) | $18.99 | November 17, 2026 9780823458141

A middle schooler learns the power of community and self-love in this novel in verse. Twelve-year-old Ulysses Stephens has just moved from Maine to Massachusetts with his mother. He’s even more concerned than the average kid about entering a new environment because of the port-wine stain birthmark on his face. But soon Uly has found a few friends and the job of photographer for the school newsletter, documenting the creation of a school mural. Soon the beautiful new mural, featuring an unapproved rainbow arching “from the grass behind the swing through the branches into the sky,” comes under fire from a school board member for its supposed political message. Uly and his new friends decide to do something to protect the community art they worked so hard on. Uly is a lovable protagonist who’s kind, intelligent, and confident. It’s a pleasure to experience his journey of self-acceptance throughout the story, while he also tries to make a difference in his community. The verse format unfortunately doesn’t meaningfully add to the reading experience, although it does make the work more approachable for striving readers, and a few individual poems stand out. The story itself is engaging and gently powerful, exploring the meaning and importance of community, family, and belonging, only occasionally dipping into didactic lecture. Uly and major supporting characters read white or are not described. A touching and empowering story. (Verse fiction. 8-12)

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Destination Antarctica: The Frozen Continent Bursting With Life de Rémacle, Guillaume | Illus. by Adrienne Barman | Trans. by Jeffrey K. Butt | Helvetiq (68 pp.) | $22.95 | September 8, 2026 9783039641468

In this work translated from French, an expert polar expedition guide takes a group of children on an unusually long class trip. The subtitle covers the key themes here, as charismatic guest speaker Marc instantly whisks eight children, one teacher, and a class cat to Antarctica—introducing wildlife from phytoplankton to baleen whales while explaining how the ecosystem revolves around krill and around the polar ice sheets that form over many years but swell and shrink on an annual cycle. Along with highlighting select animal visitors—such as the snowy sheathbill, which, as the continent’s only land bird, subsists on penguin guano and commutes hundreds of miles to Patagonia in the winter—he dishes out answers to questions about the broader ecosystem as well as about seals and other permanent residents. In Barman’s bright cartoon panels, the animals are as wide-eyed and expressively posed as the racially diverse, casually dressed children who exclaim over them and exchange brisk observations. If some of the dialogue does take on a lecture-y tone, by the time Marc bundles his gobsmacked charges aboard an inflatable boat for the instant voyage back to class, accompanying readers will likewise be caught up in the icy continent’s wonders. An informative imaginary outing. (web links, glossary, index) (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)

Cluck!: The Eggstraordinary Story of Chickens De Vlieger, Evelien | Illus. by Jan Hamstra Trans. by Michele Hutchison | Magic Cat (80 pp.) | $22.99 | September 1, 2026 9781917366991

Everything you ever wanted to know about chickens. De Vlieger sets a humorous tone from the outset: “Chickens are descended from dinosaurs. So when it comes to cool family trees, chickens win—though they never learned to talk, so they can’t brag about it.” A cascade of fact-filled stories follows: The combs on chickens’ heads both cool them off and give them distinctive appearances. They can do simple math. Regular chickens lay up to 70 eggs per year, but factory chickens lay up to 320. Translator Hutchison captures De Vlieger’s wordplay throughout, including in headlines for Hamstra’s spectacularly illustrated spreads like “Around the World in 80 Clucks,” which traces domestication to the red jungle fowl of southeast Asia 3,000 years ago. A “chicktionary,” or glossary, closes out the book. Hamstra’s linocuts evoke a folky sensibility, with beautifully etched flora and feathers. Poultry predators like foxes, who are “not monsters, just hungry animals with instincts,” are portrayed sympathetically. DeVlieger points out the origins of expressions like “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” or “fly the coop”; to find out whether the chicken or the egg came first, you’ll have to read the book. An idiosyncratic, encyclopedic, visually delightful guide to all things chicken. (Informational picture book. 7-10)

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The Night Di Giorgio, Mariachiara | NorthSouth (48 pp.) $21.95 | September 15, 2026 | 9780735846289

A dark and wordless nighttime venture leaves much to interpretation. On a stormy evening, a bundled-up adult leaves two children home with an older caregiver, one of the kids clutching a copy of Hansel and Gretel. The children, brown-haired and rosycheeked, look fairly miserable as the elder feeds them and shoos them to bed, the fairy tale clearly front of mind for both youngsters. Sneaking from the house, the kids hide in a bear’s den before a lovely, long-haired stranger with cloven hooves and headlight-beam eyes leads them through forest, field, and stream to stargaze before returning them home. Sounds strange? It is. Rendered in midnight blues, deep violets, and bruised greens, this dark and eerie tale embraces its Grimm reference, blending fantastical elements with natural realism. In striking contrast to the exquisitely precise wordless nighttime scenes Di Giorgio made for The Midnight Fair (2021), written by Gideon Sterer, these textured illustrations are vague. The appearance and disappearance of characters feels abrupt, and in the absence of narration, a bit more clarity in both artistic detail and story arc would be helpful. Given both the book’s visually unsettling nature and its storyline ambiguities, this haunting pick is best suited for older readers drawn to darker fairy tales or horror stories. Characters are light-skinned. An atmospheric read, if somewhat puzzling, and for a particular audience. (Picture book. 6-9) For more by Mariachiara Di Giorgio, visit Kirkus online.

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Tic, Tac, and Toe: In the Garden Dillard, Sheri | Illus. by Charlie Alder | Reycraft Books (32 pp.) | $18.95 | September 8, 2026 9781478892847 | Series: Tic, Tac, and Toe, 2

Three irrepressible kittens tussle over garden tasks. Following their first series outing, Tic, Tac, and Toe are back, still doing everything together. As they frolic in the field, they decide to plant some flowers. So they mow and hoe and sow! But Toe is feeling a bit controlling and wants to do the work without Tic and Tac. They all grab the satchel of seeds and pull: “No. / NO!” In a huff, Toe throws all the seeds to the ground, then storms off, wanting to finish the job alone. But it is hard work, and a bee starts buzzing around. “Run from a bee! / Who can help me?” Toe is feeling lonely. Luckily, Tic and Tac come rushing back. Mirroring a toddler’s lack of impulse control (but also their easy forgiveness), Dillard effortlessly taps into the mindset of the youngest readers. Her staccato rhymes are simple but full of energy, as are Alder’s depictions of the brightly colored felines. And, of course, there’s a twist at the end: A fourth kitten wants to join. Toe might be willing to share tools, but also friends? That’s tricky. A new adventure seems imminent. Joyful, while slyly teaching lessons as well. (Picture book. 2-5)

If You Ask an Axolotl Doctor Waffle, Ryan Walter & Abby Lyons Illus. by Abi Langridge | McElderry (32 pp.) $19.99 | December 1, 2026 | 9798347111602

A popular TikTok earworm by a husband-and-­ wife team gets the picture-­ book treatment. Reports an omniscient narrator: “There’s an axolotl on the pink stairs”; according to a sign on the building, the stairs lead to Waffle Music Studios. “Is an axolotl supposed to be there?” asks the narrator; a penguin,

who has just pulled up in a car, spies the bubble gum–colored amphibian sitting there, eating an ice cream cone. “If you ask an axolotl if they’ll be back tomorrow… // A penguin waddles in, and then the axolotl’s gone.” A corresponding illustration shows the penguin, apparently a Waffle Music employee who has accessed the building through the back, opening the front door for the axolotl, who, instead of coming inside, hops a fence and runs away. (In fright? For sport?) But on the next page, the axolotl is back, this time wearing shades and hanging around outside the studio (“There’s an axolotl on the lawn chair”). Then there’s another round of penguin and axolotl–style cat and mouse, which concludes with the two animals recording a nonsense-word duet. Langridge’s digital art is droll and filled with pizzazz—the brown-walled, plant-filled music studio has a groovy, 1970s look—but the Doctor Waffle TikTok video, with its logistical looseness and anarchic silliness, loses something when reduced to 18 static illustrations, regardless of how eye-pleasing they are. Good fun for fans of the song, but likely a head-scratcher for readers unfamiliar with the source material. (sheet music) (Picture book. 4-8)

The War Lantern Dowding, Philippa | DCB Young Readers (226 pp.) | $14.95 paper | October 17, 2026 9781770868519

Three teens’ lives are affected by the German bombing of England’s Parnall Aircraft Factory during World War II. Tail End Charlie is a 17-­year-old Royal Air Force rear gunner from Yorkshire. In the Cotswolds, Marcus, who’s 15, works at Parnall’s, building machine gun turrets. Across the North Sea in Westphalia, Germany, 14-year-old Gisele has a father in the Luftwaffe and a disabled baby brother, who might be taken by the Nazis. Each young person’s personal, SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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familial, and geographical circumstances influence their experience of the war. The book unfolds over the course of two days spanning February 26-27, 1941, with sections in the teens’ alternating perspectives that mark the passing hours. There’s a constant sense of urgency that, combined with descriptive writing and a tightly woven plot, sets a fast pace while humanizing both sides of the conflict. Rather than focusing on heroes and villains, each account portrays a frightened young person caught in circumstances beyond their control. The story vividly captures the devastating impact of a single bombing, not only on those directly involved but also on the town and the next generation left shell-shocked in its wake. Dowding’s author’s note reveals that her own father survived the real-life bombing of Parnall’s at age 15, adding a personal layer of authenticity to her research. A powerful reminder, told with immediacy and intimacy, that during wartime, every perspective tells a human story. (Historical fiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Star

Same Time, Next Week? Droop, Marlene | Trans. by Alisha Niehaus Berger | NorthSouth (40 pp.) | $19.95 September 15, 2026 | 9780735846302

Though a road trip out of the city to see the stars goes awry, four animal friends find joy in the journey. Night is falling, and Giraffe, Turtle, Sheep, and Crocodile pile into a van to stargaze. Exiting a bright city teeming with cars and towering skyscrapers, they enter a dim, pastoral countryside, a rural/urban divide marked by an impressive visual demarcation. Though their trip is low-key, it’s relatable. The unusual but obviously affectionate friend group chitchats, and small moments of gentle humor— around things like Giraffe’s umbrella keeping his protruding head dry and Turtle’s penchant for road snacks—keep 84

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the trip rolling along. When the van’s occupants agree to a brief nap that goes long, it’s a near disaster. They’ve missed the stars. But rather than bemoan their error, they embrace the moment and share the sunrise together, pledging to try again next week, this time “a smidge earlier.” Buttery yellow highlights and large swatches of dusky black, gray, and green made from scribbly lines give the art a burnished look that makes their trip feel like an odyssey, especially when the friends contentedly watch the sky become suffused with sunlight. Droop’s naïve-style art, with its jittery, impressionistic lines, adds to the sense of childlike wonder. Translated from German, the narrative feels pleasantly conversational, almost like an early reader. An affirming reminder to always look on the bright side of life. (Picture book. 4-9)

How’d They Make That?!: Incredible Stadiums: Book 1 Eisinger, Justin | Illus. by Cryssy Cheung Chronicle Books (56 pp.) | $19.99 October 6, 2026 | 9781797218656 Series: How’d They Make That?!, 1

A sweeping overview of how these versatile venues are designed, built, maintained, and put to a multi­ plicity of uses. Following a general survey of stadiums old and new, from the Roman Colosseum and the Great Ball Court at Chichén Itzá to the L.A. Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena and others still in use, Eisinger takes a dive behind the scenes. Along the way, he intersperses select sidelights like the amount of food that can be consumed at a Major League Baseball All-Star Game with glimpses of typical modern stadium components, from skyboxes and giant scoreboards to concession areas and locker rooms. He mostly writes with contagious enthusiasm, but some passages read as if cut and pasted from a brochure: “Smart technologies help fans get connected for heightened engagement and provide

venue staff with data to maintain system optimization.” Still, though Eisinger goes light on technical detail about structures or solutions, he does point out distinctive challenges in stadium design—such as the need for plumbing capable of coping with crowdsourced “super flushes.” Cheung’s painted illustrations offer overhead flybys of actual stadiums around the world and cutaway views populated with assorted multiracial groups of athletes, construction workers, performers, staff members, and customers—including cameos of Thomas Edison and Taylor Swift, as well as a nod to Lowell Perry, the first Black announcer to cover an NFL game (in 1966). Just the ticket for a burst of fannish appreciation. (map, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 7-9)

Kirkus Star

Endless Afternoons Faye, Gaël | Illus. by Suhaiyla Hippolyte | Trans. by Irene Vázquez | Levine Querido (32 pp.) $18.99 | November 3, 2026 | 9781646147328

An African boy’s vibrant imagi­ nation transforms boredom into adventure. It’s a long, slow afternoon, but the young narrator’s daydreams soar: In the living room, he plays with model cars; under the shade of a ficus tree, he imagines himself in the Garden of Eden; and he watches the goldfish swim laps in their bowl. Drawing from his experiences growing up in Burundi, Rwandan French writer and hip-hop artist Faye transforms the mundane into the poetic in this tale, first published in France. A beautiful conversation emerges among author, illustrator, and translator, more melody than prose: “The grown-ups chew the fat inside the belly of the house, while my questions take me captive like cats cornering a mouse.” The evocative text and images work together to transport readers out of their own heads and into K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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worlds imagined by the narrator. Rich hues of yellow and orange dominate, capturing the reality of late-afternoon sunlight; shadows convey the lull of slow days. Both words and illustrations are rife with discoveries to reward youngsters on rereading (for instance, references to the country’s colonization by Belgium or to the absence of the protagonist’s mother), while details such as African masks and artwork and lush foliage offer a refreshing way to celebrate African peoples and landscapes, in camaraderie and beauty. A QR code at the conclusion of the author’s note provides a link to the French song on which the work is based. Elegant, understated, and emotionally fulfilling. (Picture book. 5-10)

Fútbol Is Life! / ¡Fútbol Es Vida! Fernández, Cristo | Illus. by James Rey Sanchez | Scholastic (40 pp.) | $19.99 July 7, 2026 | 9798225012274

Ted Lasso actor and soccer player Fernandez tells the story of a young fútbol enthusiast who learns to balance his myriad interests. Whether in the house, at the market, or on the field, Cristo is never without his soccer ball. “That ball is stuck to you like bubble gum to a shoe,” Mamá says. When a knee injury forces Cristo to take a break from playing, Abuelita cheers him up by taking him to the market (sans ball), and he proposes that the family all make tamales together. This positive experience opens him up to trying other new things, like dancing with his younger sister, and when at last he returns to the field, he brings tamales to share with his teammates. The messages in the final pages are direct (“Because fútbol matters, but other things matter, too”), and the subject matter might resonate more with somewhat older readers who play sports competitively than with the typical younger picture-book audience. Still, even these readers understand the disappointment of missing out on a favorite activity, and K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Cristo is an appealing character; he’s upbeat but has moments of disappointment, indicated by dark backgrounds and sad expressions, rendered in colored pencils and ink, painted digitally. Like the author, Cristo is brown-skinned and apparently Latine. This bilingual tale presents English text in black, followed by a Spanish translation in red. A story of resilience for the fútbol-­ obsessed. (author’s note, childhood photos) (Picture book. 5-8)

Flyer McTire Ferry, Beth | Illus. by Matt Myers Harper/HarperCollins (32 pp.) | $19.99 September 15, 2026 | 9780063352100

A former racecar tire takes to the air in retirement. “Flyer McTire was speedy and round. / He raced for his fans as he sped cross the ground.” To his dismay, after giving it his all for so long, he’s suddenly sidelined. As the pit crew explains, there’s a limit on laps, and Flyer McTire has reached his. He ends up on a dark, shadowy mountain of used tires: “Rolled away, sold, he was tossed in a pile. / He couldn’t believe he’d raced his last mile.” There he sits through rain and snow, dejected, until a boy and his father (both brown-skinned) come to select a tire for their own use. His new job? Tire swing! Myers captures the boy’s exhilaration as he flies through the air. And Flyer McTire? “He felt the sweet speed. / He felt the old spark.” The bucolic setting and sunny skies of his new home seem just right. Ferry’s simple, rhymed text cruises along in this ode to going fast and to second chances. Myers’ lively, vivid, full-bleed cartoon illustrations offer an immersive sense of the track; readers will be thrilled to see racecars in neon colors with elaborate spoilers as they zoom by. Myers also invests McTire with plenty of personality. His face—eyebrows, eyes, and a mouth against his gray tread—comically conveys determination, bewilderment, sadness, and delight. Racecar enthusiasts will relish the unusual protagonist and cheerful, off-road ending.

A surefire candidate for repeat readings. (Picture book. 3-7)

The Faraway Forest: Hester’s Big Dream Fong, Debbie | Colors by Kayla Catanzaro Chronicle Books (96 pp.) | $12.99 September 15, 2026 | 9781797230436 Series: The Faraway Forest

A night owl tries something new. As the neighbors of the Faraway Forest settle down for the evening, resident owl Hester is just starting her nocturnal routine. Padu the scavenging opossum and Oren the skunk, who works the overnight shift at the Acorn Mart, are good for small talk, and Hester stays active with a variety of hobbies, but she’s still lonely. Armed with sunglasses, an energy drink, and loud headphones, she attempts to stay awake in the daytime in order to make friends; her efforts are creative but futile against drowsiness. Hester eventually hears rumors of a late-night club that sounds right up her alley, if only she can catch a clue about where the members meet. Fong expertly guides readers across intuitive panel layouts, some narrated by Hester, some made up of speech bubbles, and still others entirely wordless. Catanzaro’s use of color is adept: The book kicks off with a warm orange sunset and concludes beneath a deep blue, starry sky; there is no time of day or night that is not magical here. The Faraway Forest’s denizens are universally kind, inviting types. Wally the raccoon, star of the previous book in this series, makes an appearance, though readers can start with this title and not miss a beat. A satisfying social experiment in finding friends with compatible schedules. (games, how to draw Hester) (Graphic fiction. 5-8)

For more in the Faraway Forest series, visit Kirkus online.

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Stepping Into the Limelight

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For more booklists, visit Kirkus online.

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1 The Blockbusters! By Frank Cottrell-Boyce; illus. by Steven Lenton

Warm, playful, and frequently hilarious.

2 Choir Grrrl

By Ashley Granillo

An emotional, well-realized story about finding your voice.

3 Dream Big

By Shannon Hale; illus. by Marcela Cespedes; color by JP Jordan

Positively shines with big laughs and big feelings.

5 Hikaru in the Light!: Volume 3

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By Mai Matsuda

Sincere soul-searching set before a sparkling backdrop.

6 KPop Demon Hunters: The Official Deluxe Junior Novelization: The Official Retelling

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By Jessica Yoon

A solid retelling of the movie that fans are sure to savor.

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4 Gone Viral

By Gary Soto; illus. by James Otis Smith

An imaginative, madcap escape.

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The Wild Atlas: Journey to the World’s Most Remote Places Foreston, Seth | Illus. by Bao Luu Neon Squid/Macmillan (64 pp.) | $19.99 October 13, 2026 | 9781684496143

A quick spin around the planet, with pauses at some of its most isolated spots for glimpses of distinctive wildlife. Foreston introduces himself as a wildlife filmmaker, but Luu provides the illustrations, alternating dozens of tiny images scattered on schematic regional maps with larger close-ups. Kicking off his tour with an overview of creatures native to the Carpathian Mountains and then zeroing in on a pack of Eurasian wolves, the author highlights animals and, occasionally, Indigenous peoples found around the world. The highlighted locales range in size from the Sahara Desert to Point Nemo—a spot in the Pacific Ocean so isolated that the humans closest to it are astronauts on the International Space Station. Foreston presents plenty of wild facts sure to entrance readers (“Black triggerfish eat dolphin vomit!” “Green sea turtles eat so much seagrass that the fat inside their bodies turns green!”); his pithy captions beg to be shared aloud, and in longer passages, he delivers thoughtful remarks about, for instance, the restorative effects of fire on eucalyptus forests, and how ancient Polynesian navigators and Old World monkeys both crossed oceans. Except for the author himself, who puts in occasional appearances, human figures have mid-toned or dark skin. Best suited for casual browsing, but much to engage armchair travelers and animal lovers. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-11)

Paradise Gabel, Claudia | Pixel+Ink (288 pp.) $18.99 | October 27, 2026 | 9781645952701 Series: Paradise, 1

It isn’t paradise if you’re being hunted. Thirteen-yearold twins Lily and Sam and their cousin Jordan are on vacation at a luxurious island resort near the Florida Keys thanks to an unexpected gift from their estranged tech mogul grandmother, Penelope. Everyone is surprised to receive letters from Penelope announcing that she’ll be joining them for an impromptu family reunion. Although the cousins are curious about Penelope and their family history, they’re preoccupied by a bigger mystery. They were exploring off-limits areas of the island with new friends when they heard terrifying growling that sounded like it came from a vicious predator. But the privately owned Paradise Resort is an artificial island; everything living there was brought in by humans. Are the owners smuggling exotic species or running an animal sanctuary? The dangers posed by the kids’ stealthy investigation test them and their relationships to the limits. The chapters rotate among Lily’s, Sam’s, and Jordan’s third-person perspectives, allowing readers insights into their self-doubts, admiration for each other, and growth as they fight for survival and learn to rely on themselves and bring out the best in each other. The heart-stopping action and absorbing drama culminate in an ending that wraps up this adventure and fills in some gaps about Penelope before introducing a cliffhanger that sets up for the next series entry. The cousins present white, and

A mystery unfolds at an Antarctic research station. M U R D E R AT P E N G U I N R A N C H

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contextual clues point to some racial diversity in the supporting cast.

Chilling adventures that will satisfy thrill-seekers. (Thriller. 10-14)

Great Lives in Graphics: King Charles III GMC Editors | Illus. by GMC Designers Button Books (32 pp.) | $14.99 November 10, 2026 | 9781787081871 Series: Great Lives in Graphics, 5

A biography of the current king of England, whose “life so far has been one of highs, lows, challenges and triumphs.” A timeline marks milestones for Charles alongside global events. Occasional humor (“Okay boomer!”) lightens the tone. Pages depicting a family tree and covering Charles’ early years and investiture as Prince of Wales include quotations that read as complaints (of his boarding school, Gordonstoun, “I simply dread going to bed as I get hit all night long”), but in the military he seems to have been happy, and after leaving, he began to combine personal interests with service, creating organizations to help disadvantaged youth, combat food waste, and more. Climate change and sustainability became his signature issues. In quick review, pages on his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, and their sons, William and Harry, are followed by information on the royal finances and Charles’ controversial architectural conservatism. A section on his second wife, Queen Camilla, addresses the “Why didn’t they marry earlier?” question, and the timeline notes their long connection. Descriptions of Charles’ cultural accomplishments and his grand­ fatherhood humanize him before the coronation places him on the throne. Nonjudgmental and quite informative despite the relatively brief captions, this volume mostly emphasizes the positive, effectively using varied, colorful graphics, bold K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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type, and attention-grabbing composition to convey a distinctive life. Neither hagiography nor critique, but concise biography. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 10-16)

Ninang’s Here! Go, Analene | Illus. by Alexis Young Kids Can (32 pp.) | $19.99 | October 6, 2026 9781525313813

A godmother’s visit leads to excellent adventures for a child. With the gleeful declaration of “Ninang’s here!” a youngster joyfully welcomes a beloved family friend. “Ninang isn’t just my godmother—she’s my very best friend.” A self-described “grown-up whose heart never grew up,” Ninang is only too willing to leave the adults to their “chismis and chat” and follow the excited child: “Come on, Ninang, there’s lots to explore.” Chasing aliens in outer space, saving lost cats, pausing for cookies and cakes in an enchanted garden, and sailing the seas with pirates—their imaginary games make the time pass quickly. Too soon, evening arrives, signaling Ninang’s departure. But the child isn’t ready to lose this favorite playmate and creates clever reasons to make her stay, pointing out that Ninang’s possessions have gone missing. “I don’t need my car keys or my coat or my hat or my purse,” Ninang explains. “But I do need my favorite inaanak....You are the only thing I will ever need,” she lovingly insists. Both Go and Young make their picture-book debut here, celebrating their shared Filipino heritage. Go’s opening author’s note and Tagalog glossary highlight her characters’ Filipino background. Young’s vibrant, digitally rendered illustrations are reminiscent of energetic anime with oversized eyes and dramatic expressions. She creates particularly whimsical, detailed scenes to match the protagonist’s vivid imagination, cleverly including the youngster’s favorite plushies in every adventure. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

A memorable celebration of an important adult/child relationship too rarely seen in kid lit. (Picture book. 3-7)

Princess Bulldog: Princess Power Trip Goyal Yu, Lovi | Illus. by Stephanie Laberis Harper/HarperCollins (128 pp.) | $9.99 paper | September 8, 2026 | 9780063075795 Series: Princess Bulldog

A royal bulldog learns that with great power comes great responsibility. Lola, a pupasus (a dog with wings) attends Wuff Obedience School to practice essential skills with the other pupasi on Friendship Mountain, an island in the sky that’s home to Friendship Falls, source of the world’s magic. This series opener introduces Lola and her friends, as well as little brother Slobber and their parents, the king and queen of the entire pupdom. When her pawrents must go to bring magical soup to Lola’s ailing Grandmup, they leave Lola to stay behind and practice being in charge. Her father replaces her tiara with a larger one (“a symbol of the pupdom”). Her friends insist that since she’s in charge, she can make whatever rules she likes; elated, Lola throws a party, putting herself first in line for paw painting and giving herself an advantage in the limbo contest. Her friends are annoyed, but when her new tiara goes missing, they come to her aid. Goyal Yu nicely delivers a familiar friendship trope—the bossy friend who sees the light—this time with magic dogs. She deploys amusing canine-­ oriented vocabulary throughout: The characters nosh on “pup-tarts,” bad things are described as “pawful,” and good things are “puperific.” Laberis’ lively cartoon illustrations depict an entertainingly silly variety of winged dogs in dresses, capes, and crowns.

An upbeat friendship story with flying dogs and a measure of magic. (Chapter book. 6-9)

Consider the Night Sky Grant, Jennifer | Illus. by Julianna Swaney Eerdmans (32 pp.) | $18.99 | September 1, 2026 | 9780802855640 | Series: Consider

The sun, the moon, and the stars in the sky are vast and part of a larger universe that we all occupy. After exploring flora and fauna in Consider the Lilies (2026) and Consider the Birds (2025), Grant and Swaney wind together the spiritual concept of God and the scientific understanding of cosmology. Inspired by several biblical verses, Grant’s thoughtful third-person text showcases essential facts of our mighty macrocosm (“The Sun is a blazing ball of fire. / In the day, its light / shines down on Earth, / the place we call home”). Swaney’s digital illustrations use a soft, soothing palette of purples, pinks, and blues that complement the gentle tone of Grant’s words while depicting a vibrant night sky filled with swirling planets, stars, and constellations. The idea of a higher power is subtly woven in throughout, acknowledging both that we exist in an immense universe and that each person, creature, and thing has an essential purpose. While the text comes from a distinctly Christian perspective, the writing is never preachy; families of various religious backgrounds will relate to the message of an almighty presence. A contemplative and reassuring look at our place in this world and beyond. (Picture book. 3-6)

Murder at Penguin Ranch Gray, Kristin L. | Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster (240 pp.) | $17.99 November 3, 2026 | 9781665919197

A mystery unfolds at an Antarctic research station. Nova Hoffman is excited to hang out with her mom, but she has to travel pretty far to do so—first flying from Kansas City to New Zealand, then traveling on to SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Antarctica’s McMurdo Station by military transport. Nova’s mom is a zoologist who lives there half the year studying penguins, an exciting but high-stress job with little free time. Nonetheless, Nova and Emilee Ortega, her best friend who’s tagging along, have plenty to do. At Happy Camper School they learn safety skills for surviving in the world’s largest (and coldest) desert, they help Nova’s mom capture a pair of rogue penguins that are important to her research, and they tour British explorer Robert Falcon Scott’s historic Discovery Hut, which, intriguingly, contains trace amounts of anthrax. The girls also learn about the lives of other McMurdo residents, and as the title promises, there’s a murder; each character they meet serves double duty as a potential suspect. The murder occurs overnight and offstage, and Nova finds herself embroiled in the search for method, motive, and murderer, hoping to clear her mother of the crime. Solid, steady sleuthing leads readers to a satisfyingly sinister reveal, but the book shines most in its descriptions of the research missions and living conditions at Antarctic research stations. Nova reads white, and brown-skinned Emilee presents Latine. An engrossing, informative depiction of life at the bottom of the world. (Antarctica facts, further reading) (Mystery. 8-12)

Cinderella: Original Brothers Grimm Version Grimm, The Brothers | Illus. by Bernadette Watts | NorthSouth (32 pp.) | $19.95 September 22, 2026 | 9780735846432

Hazelnut trees and golden slippers are the hallmarks of this lushly rendered take on “Cinderella.” When her mother dies, a little girl is cruelly treated by her new stepmother and stepsisters. Fortunately, the tree that grows on her mother’s grave hosts loving birds that care for the child. In time, the king’s son is to marry, and three days of 90

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feasting and dancing are planned so that the prince may choose a bride from the guests. Eventually, a happy ending ensues. First published in Switzerland in 1978, this edition finally makes its way to American shores. The work takes its text from an 1823 English-language translation of a Brothers Grimm collection that eschews some of the original tale’s blood and gore (though foot-hacking sequences remain intact). The story is also longer than most picture books, with the Rule of Three applying to three gowns, three prince-related evasions, and three women trying on the golden slipper Cinderella leaves behind (but only two attempts to separate lentils from ashes, interestingly). It also explains why Cinderella runs away from the prince repeatedly (he wants to see where she lives). The star power behind this edition is Watts’ jaw-dropping acrylic art. She renders even simplest of scenes sumptuous, setting the bulk of the tale against a snowy backdrop. Her colors throb and pulse, making even the longest passages entrancing. Cinderella and her family are tan-skinned; the prince is darker-skinned. Stunning illustrated set pieces turn a classic fairy tale into a visual gem. (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Star

Buffalo Ways: The Enduring Story of Buffalo and the First Peoples of North America Havrelock, Deidre | Illus. by William Burns Holiday House (40 pp.) | $19.99 September 15, 2026 | 9780823450374 Series: Books for a Better Earth

A sweeping account of the buffalo’s near extinction and recovery. Drawing on her own family history, Havrelock (Saddle Lake Plains Cree) traces buffalo from their Ice Age relatives (giant bison, Bison latifrons) to their central role in Plains life—spiritual, material, and ecological—through the devastation wrought

by European settlers, who brought with them disease and pushed Indigenous peoples off their land in pursuit of the hide trade. At the heart of the book is Latatitsa (Little Peregrine Falcon Robe), a 19th-century Pend d’Oreille man who, carrying out his father’s dream, rounds up orphaned calves and shepherds them home through the Rocky Mountains; this herd becomes foundational to the species’ survival. Havrelock’s prose is dignified and measured, and she is careful to credit the wide coalition— Indigenous peoples, ranchers, national parks, and the U.S. and Canadian governments—whose combined efforts brought the buffalo back. Burns’ digital illustrations are painterly and textural, layering scumbled brushwork over collagelike backgrounds. In a sumptuous nighttime spread, a ring of wolves with eerie, glowing eyes lurks above a firelit foreground where Latatitsa guards his calves; through masterly use of page composition, Burns separates the cold blue of danger from the warm sanctuary of the campfire. Generous backmatter includes an author’s note, a timeline, the Buffalo Treaty, and resources for learning more about these animals. A beautiful, stirring, and timeless tribute to buffalo and the First Peoples whose care brought them back from the brink. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

It Won’t Be Long Hays Hoover, Laura | Illus. by Jieting Chen Reycraft Books (24 pp.) | $16.95 September 8, 2026 | 9781478892793

A child grows year by year, reaching different milestones along the way. As a baby snuggles to sleep, the narrator reflects on the passage of time. “It won’t be long until you’re one. / We’ll rock and sleep when days are done. / You’ll babble, coo, and wave your hand. / You’ll wobble, fall, and try to stand.” In a single page turn, a whole year passes; the baby is now turning 2. The titular phrase repeats: “It won’t be long until you’re two. / We’ll sing and K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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play the whole day through.” The youngster is confidently walking, kicking a ball, and (oops) coloring on a wall. Each page turn brings a new year, and new skills. The child does a puzzle, begins school, and joins a band. After the 10th year, the story leaps ahead: “It won’t be long until you’re grown. / You’ll hear me say, ‘Time has flown.’ / You’ll see new places, make new friends. / I’ll love you so. That never ends.” The grown child turns back to wave goodbye. Chen’s light-drenched illustrations pair well with Hays Hoover’s gentle rhymes. Both capture the tenderness of growing up, tinged with the sadness of letting go. The family presents as East Asian. A sweet offering for a family with a new little one or a youngster eager to grow. (Picture book. 3-6)

You vs the Poison Plot Hicks, Josh | Candlewick (224 pp.) | $18.99 October 13, 2026 | 9781536243857 Series: You vs, 1

You know the what, the where, and the when; now you have to figure out the who and the why. When teacher Mr. Rosso collapses in the drama studio, the list of suspects is small: several students, a nervous teaching assistant, a loudmouth PE teacher, and a movie star (an alumnus who’s returned to judge the school talent show). One of the students is “you,” the unnamed young journalist narrator, eager to get a scoop for the school paper. Told in the style of a Choose Your Own Adventure novel, this series opener invites readers to navigate multiple paths through the mystery in the hours before the talent show. Will you go home and pretend you didn’t hear anything? Or are you committed to untangling a full-on murder plot? The stakes rise when someone tries to frame you! The cartoonlike black-and-white illustrations show the school grounds (including floorplans and a bird’s-eye view of campus) and the multiracial cast of K IR KU S R E V IE W S

over-the-top characters. Hicks introduces readers to detectives’ methods: Pages from your notebook show notes, clues, and brief descriptions of each suspect (“Levi George / Up-and-coming singer / Looks: Smug. / Sounds: Like an angel. / Smells: Like deodorant”). The humor will draw readers in, and the heavily illustrated style supports those who are ready to up the ante with a nonlinear reading experience. An engaging mystery that requires active participation and rewards a sense of humor. (Mystery. 8-12)

Stop Antiblack Racism: 8 Ways To Act Now Hohn, Nadia L. | Illus. by Arden Taylor Orca (48 pp.) | $19.95 | October 13, 2026 9781459843851 | Series: Orca Take Action

Educator and author Hohn zeroes in on a particular element of racism. Noting that Black people encounter unique forms of bigotry (for instance, a greater likelihood of being pulled over by police and higher rates of job and housing discrimination), Hohn explores anti-Black racism, describes the damage it does, and offers strategies for those seeking to resist it. Each chapter is dedicated to a different action readers can take, among them learning about Black history, speaking up, and finding community. Along the way, Hohn clearly defines terms such as shadism (also known as colorism) and hair discrimination, offering specific examples and historical context; she also shares her own experiences (being bullied over her physical features, for instance). The book is inclusive in tone,

reminding non-Black readers to center Black voices while acknowledging the very real pain that Black children experience. “This book isn’t only for people who want to help stop racism,” Hohn writes. “This book is for the kids who are impacted by racism.” The author is empathetic and reassuring as she discusses sensitive, potentially upsetting subjects, such as being on the receiving end of racial epithets. She covers complex themes, among them intersectionality and cultural appropriation, in ways young people will find accessible. Concrete strategies will help readers educate themselves and take action. Taylor’s colorful images and enticing layouts easily allow readers to dive into the topic. A solid missive offering young activists direction and guidance. (glossary, resources, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)

Take Cover Hopkinson, Deborah | Scholastic (224 pp.) $18.99 | November 3, 2026 | 9781546131779

A young evacuee returns to London just in time to experience the Blitz. The story follows young Charlie Sawyer as he searches for his missing grandfather amid the ruins and helps a younger companion, Lucie, look for her mother—­ whenever the feared “Howling Hound,” as Charlie dubs the warning siren, doesn’t send them scrambling for cover. Hopkinson lightens the emotional load by using a host of point-of-view characters, including ghosts and a displaced Cairn terrier. Interspersed period photos

Stunning illustrated set pieces turn a classic fairy tale into a visual gem. CINDERELLA

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Meets Black children where they are and vows not to leave them there. W H AT S H A L L W E T E L L YO U ?

and images portray the scale of the destruction, but she closes the adventure with a whirl of joyful family reunions and an epilogue set in 1945. Hopkinson adds a touch of fantasy to her weave of fact and fiction—tucking a set of historically recognized theater ghosts into a cast that features both real and made-up victims of the 1940-41 bombings. The copious closing notes describe the historical context and real-life inspiration for these characters, who include renowned actor John Gielgud, a German Jewish child brought to England via the Kinder­ transport, and a Londoner of Afro­Caribbean descent—the last based on a real young Black Land Girl who appears in one of the photos. The book includes mentions of explosions, fires, and deaths but leaves them offstage to lower the level of explicit violence. An engrossing picture that’s solidly based in history. (resources, bibliography, source notes) (Historical fiction. 9-13)

When I Want To Be Silent Hristova, Zornitsa | Illus. by Kiril Zlatkov Trans. by Angela Rodel | Helvetiq (32 pp.) $17.95 | September 1, 2026 | 9783039641482

“When I was little, grown-ups showed me words, so I’d have somewhere to put my things.” This Bulgarian import’s extended metaphor of words as containers allows one little bear a chance to voice both comforts and concerns. The cub likes words but acknowledges that “not everything fits in them.” Where do you put a “dream you’re trying to hear,” music, light, and more? Each of 92

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these thoughts is rendered in Zlatkov’s marvelous cross-hatched pen-and-ink linework, all in black and white. We see the gently surreal sights of a bear poking its nose through a cloud-filled sky toward a glowing wing and the cub slumbering on a patient horse’s back. “Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll hide something important in words,” confides the cub, who urges readers to “listen to me when I am silent.” Full credit goes to Rodel’s translation, which gives a unique lyricism to the words and phrases on the page. This soft, sweet world invokes the mood of a Maurice Sendak tale, with art reminiscent of Chris Van Allsburg’s. Bracingly short, the book enraptures with its images, even as its simple words allow for complex ideas about language and how we process it.

A complicated beauty. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Star

What Shall We Tell You? Hudson, Wade | Illus. by Tonya Engel Astra Young Readers (32 pp.) | $19.99 October 27, 2026 | 9781662621109

This lyrical tale meets Black children where they are and vows not to leave them there. “What shall we tell you / when our world / sometimes seems / dark and uninviting?” Hudson’s spare, free-verse poem poses difficult questions without softening the realities that inspire them. Bullying, prejudice, hatred, violence, and loss are acknowledged with quiet honesty before the poem’s collective voice begins its reply: “We shall tell you….” What follows is

neither easy nor tidy, but a steady promise of love, hope, justice, and accompaniment from a community determined to help children find light in dark places. With echoes of Walter Dean Myers, Hudson’s poem never claims that the world is kinder than Black children know it to be but instead invites them into a conversation that insists that they will not face that world by themselves. The repeated first-person plural transforms comfort into a community dialogue, suggesting that resilience is collective, practiced together, and offered from one generation to the next. Engel’s luminous paintings deepen that invitation, pairing metaphor-rich imagery with intimate portraits of young people and caregivers whose gestures of encouragement and solidarity quietly expand the poem’s embrace. Author’s and illustrator’s notes further root the work in the creators’ commitment to writing Black children into stories of hope, belonging, and possibility. For days survived and days ahead. (Picture book. 4-8)

Painting the Light: The Story of Berthe Morisot, First Woman Impressionist Iacobelli, Natalia | Illus. by Rosanna Tasker Reycraft Books (32 pp.) | September 8, 2026 9781478886440

Berthe Morisot sets out to make her mark on the art world, refusing to stay inside the lines. As a young woman in 19th-century Paris, Berthe demonstrates uncommon talent for painting, though her mother insists that she focus on marriage and homemaking. Still, Berthe paints. She admires the Old Masters at the Louvre but bristles at the absence of women artists. When her work is accepted into the prestigious Salon, she impresses the judges despite her gender, but Berthe isn’t satisfied. Tired of imitating the art she sees in museums, Berthe takes her paintbrush outdoors, where sunlight filtering through the trees sparks inspiration. Berthe joins a rebellious K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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group of artists—including Monet, Renoir, and Degas—who would become known as the Impressionists. Yet even among these rule breakers, she remains an outsider, excluded from many of their male-centered gatherings. Undeterred, Berthe exhibits her work independently until critics, dealers, and collectors finally take notice. Tasker’s luminous gouache and pastel illustrations echo Impressionism with dappled brushwork, vibrant colors, and radiant light. Expository text drives a serviceable narrative that includes detailed backmatter, while the floaty, dreamlike illustrations steal the show. A glowy celebration of a woman who dared to see—and paint—the world differently. (author’s note, bibliography) (Picture-book biography. 5-8)

Dragons Cry, Too Isern, Susanna | Illus. by Eva Carot | NubeOcho (44 pp.) | $17.99 | October 27, 2026 9788419607713 | Series: Somos8

“Crybaby” Ari is expelled from the Bold Bunch, but everything changes after a dragon visits. “In a little town nestled among forests and mountains, there lives a fabulous group of the bravest boys and girls around. They call themselves the Bold Bunch, and they’re all brave, strong, swift, agile and intelligent.” This supposedly stellar group is led by the bullying braggart Jamie, and on Ari and friend Leah’s first outing with the Bold Bunch, Jamie insists the kids enter a dark, abandoned building to test their bravery. Despite his fear of the dark, Ari enters…and whimpers. Jamie sneers (“Boys don’t cry!”) and tells Ari he can’t join the group, but Leah stands up for Ari. Night falls, and the kids gather around a campfire (Ari sits, dejected, on the outskirts). Suddenly, a dragon appears and announces that she needs a courageous child to accompany her to the land of the dragons—and she selects Ari, tasking him with figuring out what’s wrong with her gloomy son, Zuri. Turns K IR KU S R E V IE W S

out Zuri, who’s afraid of the dark, is worried about an upcoming trip to a cavern: What if the other dragons deem him a crybaby? Luckily, Ari knows just what to say. Translated from Portuguese, this rather preachy tale offers a worthy takeaway but substitutes lengthy narration and clunky dialogue for compelling action. Carot’s cartoon illustrations of big-headed kids reflect the text rather than extending it. Ari and Jamie are light-skinned; Leah is brown-skinned; the others are diverse. Important messaging clumsily executed. (Picture book. 4-8)

Always Enough Love Isler, Emily Barth | Illus. by Laura Ramos Nancy Paulsen Books (32 pp.) | $18.99 December 15, 2026 | 9780593624999

A kid in a big family has lots to grumble about and one big reason to smile. This book’s brown-skinned young narrator has issues: “There’s never enough room on the sofa.” A corresponding illustration shows the kid’s parents and five siblings hogging all the couch real estate. “There’s not enough space on the rug.” The child can’t even reach the board game at the rug’s center due to the convergence of siblings. “There’s never enough of the blanket.” The kid doesn’t have enough covers as the family snuggles in a tent while on a camping trip. Still, the child realizes that all the aggravation is worth it for one simple reason: “There’s always enough love.” Just outside the tent, the kid and a parent gaze up at the moonlit sky. The pattern continues: two or three gripes followed by the rhymed refrain “There’s always enough love.” The book offers such a great insight that it’s too bad more attention wasn’t paid to making the rhymes scan. Bustling Procreate art shows a sprawling, biracial clan (with cameos from two elders, presumably grandparents) making the most of family time indoors and out. Ramos doesn’t let the

sheer number of characters deprive them of their individuality. Keen-eyed readers will note that one extra-cute toddler won’t do anything without a certain rabbit stuffie. A spirited consideration and, ultimately, celebration of familial too-muchness. (Picture book. 3-7)

The Toast of the Town John, Jory | Illus. by Pete Oswald Harper/HarperCollins (40 pp.) $19.99 | November 10, 2026 9780063589834 | Series: The Food Group

The latest title in this indefatigable food-centered series finds a piece of toast recounting a life-­ changing event. Before earning the nickname the Toast of the Town, this book’s narrator is just one of many slices of bread at a diner, where life is dispiriting: “I may have been wheat bread, but I felt like sourdough.” The protagonist doesn’t have much going on—“I mostly just loafed around”— until the day our hero accidentally falls into a toaster: “I felt…different. I’d dropped into the appliance as ordinary bread…but when I popped out, I had become…toast.” This development leads to a radical change in outlook, and the toast has since embarked on a crusade of helpfulness (“I try to pop up wherever help is needed. That’s just how I roll”). The narrator’s community-minded spiel does run long, but the verbal and visual gags arrive with slapstick-comedy frequency. If there exists a pun about bread or toast, John has used it here. Working digitally, Oswald takes all this silliness seriously, approaching scenes revolving around a range of common pantry and refrigerator items with uncommon care. In a coy touch, the narrator’s flashback to the diner days is largely rendered in gray tones, calling to mind scenes from an old movie…if old movies starred foodstuffs with stick limbs and googly eyes.

Umpteen books in, this punning series is still full of beans. (Picture book. 4-8) SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Underscores the joyful empowerment of making uniquely individual choices. N O U N G A PAT C H K A !

Christmas Is in the Little Things Jones, Stella J. | Illus. by Jane Massey Tiger Tales (40 pp.) | $18.99 September 1, 2026 | 9781664301009

The pair from Love Is in the Little Things (2023) make memories as they celebrate the winter holiday season. Jones and Massey’s rhyming picture book touches on typical rituals and hallmarks of Christmas as a paleskinned tot and a large but cuddly-­ looking bear (apparently the little one’s caregiver), both clad in Santa hats, make cookies, write cards, pick a tree, play in the snow, and sing carols before leaving treats for Santa and prepping for bed. The text, expressing the titular sentiment, pays tribute to those little things: Christmas “is in each decoration / that you’ve made with love for me. / Each and every single year, / they brighten up our tree.” Massey’s lovely images provide specificity to Jones’ more general text, with sweet details like woodland animals joining in on caroling and the child using a wooden spoon like a microphone while baking. Set against mostly white backdrops, the minimalist illustrations have a soft palette, giving the visuals a warm glow even amid the snow. Though the book tackles familiar territory— love, togetherness, and memory making at Christmas—it’s one youngsters will readily appreciate. Adults, too, will find it a gentle portrayal of comforting holiday feelings as they look to develop their own families’ cherished traditions. Joyful and tender Yuletide sentiments. (Picture book. 3-5)

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Listening for Tigers Kadarusman, Michelle | Pajama Press (192 pp.) $19.95 | October 20, 2026 | 9781772783780 Series: The Tiger Trilogy, 2

In this second of a projected trilogy, a young violinist guards an impossible secret: The Tasmanian tiger isn’t extinct. Now scientists are asking questions. Louisa’s summer at her grand­ father’s Ontario farmhouse should be restful—tendonitis has sidelined her violin practice—but an organization funding a de-extinction lab emails her biologist mother asking about a recent Tasmanian tiger sighting rumor. Louisa and her family know a thylacine survives, hidden in Tasmania’s Tarkine rain­forest by Aboriginal elders (2020’s Music for Tigers saw Louisa coming across the animal while visiting her Uncle Ruff in Australia). Kadarusman unspools the suspense slowly, giving plenty of weight to sister Sophie, home from college after a manic episode and hospitalization and newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The depiction is unsentimental: Sophie snaps that Louisa’s “little panic attacks” don’t compare, then admits that her struggles will be “a day-to-day thing. For a lifetime.” Louisa’s anxiety and introversion get similar care, as does autistic best friend Colin, whose meticulous research reports help move the story forward. Excerpts from great-grandmother Eleanor’s 1939 journal introduce Palawa songlines (songs passed down from the ancestors); the debate from the previous

book stays open, with Mom defending de-extinction and Dad arguing that the money spent resurrecting these species should instead go into habitat conservation. The book’s climax flirts with mysticism; Uncle Ruff’s insistence that the world needs both skeptics and dreamers is the book’s real thesis. Main characters are cued white. A tender, brainy sequel that gives science, intuition, and mental illness equal room to breathe. (Fiction. 8-12)

Cat Loaf Adventures Volume 1 kat.ariyn | Graphix/Scholastic (160 pp.) $25.99 | August 4, 2026 | 9798225019631

The sweet and sour(dough) sides of life for anthropomorphic baked creatures. This collected edition of the original online WEBTOON comic follows the daily adventures of three breadcats who live in a bakery. There’s Cat Loaf, the friend-seeking adventurer; Rye Loaf, the quiet loner; and Tabby Loaf (“Tabs”), the scaredy-cat. Stories are mostly driven by encounters with other dough-based animals, such as nefarious cinnamon bunnies and competitive doughnut cats. The narrative stretches to include heartfelt moments about a creative mousse mouse staying true to their creative roots and lonely cat Potato having a reflective moment after chasing others’ friendship. Characters’ faces largely resemble living emojis, and dialogue heaps on the food-based puns, but something is lost in the transition to print. Uniformity in the panel layouts sees walls of panels and text that can become numbing where the original vertical format was more carefully paced. Visual gags like a Pokémon battle parody and a soap opera TV show acted out by actual bars of soap briefly change up the format in fun K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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ways, but some readers may feel stuffed on all the bread.

A cute premise best experienced in small bites. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)

Giraffe and a Half Kent, Nicola | Andersen Press USA (32 pp.) $19.99 | October 6, 2026 | 9798348039820

A three-eared, six-legged giraffe struggles with self-consciousness. Giraffe’s extra appendages are particularly nifty for enjoying birdsong and crunching leaves. But when Giraffe tries to play with others, she feels “different. Weird, even. And that it was best if she played alone.” One day, playing hide-and-seek solo, Giraffe is spotted by Bird with a Third, who has three wings and three legs. Unlike Giraffe, Bird is unruffled by his difference and has a flock of friends. When Giraffe explains she plays alone because she’s “a bit too different,” Bird serenades her with a pick-me-up that concludes, “Just show yourself off to the world. / Be Proud and Strong and Brave and Bold.” Impressed by Bird’s confident song and dance, Giraffe jumps in with all six feet. To her surprise, Elephant and other animals ask to join. As the friends play, Giraffe’s difference feels less important. As Giraffe considers her “six legs, three ears, and lots of new friends,” she realizes that while she’ll “always be a bit different,” she’ll “never have to play alone.” The illustrations are bright and cheery, matching the upbeat text. Readers navigating similar situations will empathize with Giraffe’s trepidation and appreciate Bird’s encouragement. An author’s note explains that the story is based on Kent’s self-consciousness after losing her voice as a child. An uplifting tale of inclusion and the power of positive role models. (Picture book. 4-6) K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Kirkus Star

No Ungapatchka! Kerbel, Deborah | Illus. by Yaara Eshet Owlkids Books (32 pp.) | $18.95 October 6, 2026 | 9781771476850

Sarah is finally old enough to choose her own clothes. Her older sisters, Rachel and Erin, who have been picking out their own outfits for a long time now, share their “How To Dress for School” rules. Beyond practical advice (like considering the weather), their final tip is a puzzling “NO UNGAPATCHKA!” Rachel and Erin take turns explaining “Bubbie’s word,” which means “something that is too bright, too busy....Too weird. Too loud.” When Monday arrives, Sarah sees the sunny day outside her window and dons “bright and bouncy clothes to match”—teal overalls with golden polka dots over a pink polka-dotted orange shirt, complete with one orange sock, the other pink, finished with a multi-beribboned bonnet. The rest of the week’s wardrobe is equally “splendiferous—but not ungapatchka,” Sarah insists. But by Friday, her attempt at “pizzazz” just doesn’t meet with sororal approval; alas, the replacement “blah, flat, dull” outfit leaves her deflated. During their weekly walk home, Bubbie urges Sarah to make her own rules so that she can be “so loud… so bright… so busy… so weird, there could never be anyone else in the world like me.” Yes indeedy to Kerbel’s encouraging ungapatchka—advice artist Eshet meticulously, delightfully follows on every vibrant page. She turns Sarah’s outfits into sartorial goals—and captures Bubbie’s aspirational style. Aptly, Kerbel’s exuberant prose is marked by delicious word choices. The main characters are light-skinned; Yiddish words suggest the family is Jewish. Gorgeously, unequivocally underscores the joyful empowerment of making uniquely individual choices. (Picture book. 4-8)

The World of Emily Windsnap: Emily’s Great Idea Kessler, Liz | Illus. by Joanie Stone | Candlewick (64 pp.) | $16.99 | September 8, 2026 9781536243413 | Series: The World of Emily Windsnap, 5

A young mermaid aids her community in a time of crisis. Bringing the middle-grade fantasy series to a younger audience, this book, like its four predecessors, recasts Emily’s adventures in a slightly simpler, abridged mold and presents them in six chapters. Emily, a human who grows a mermaid’s tail when she dives into the water, lives with her mother in a houseboat docked near her friend Mandy’s house on the pier. Emily plans to spend the day at Mandy’s family’s amusement park at the pier-end. But the girls learn that the pier has become unsafe and might be demolished. “It’s a disaster!” the friends cry. They locate the damaged pillar under the pier and conclude sadly that the sea creatures in the pools at the base of the pillar will lose their home, too. Later, Emily joins her mer-friends in the sea; they try to distract her with a shipwreck visit. And that’s where she comes up with a way to save the pier. Merfolk and humans come together, working to make it happen. Colorful, attractively stylized illustrations depict Emily with auburn hair and light skin; Mandy presents East Asian; the mermaids are diverse. Direct language, lots of dialogue, a steady pace, and easy-to-follow action make this a potential winner with the younger mer-set.

Thoroughly imMERsive. (Early reader. 5-8)

For more by Liz Kessler, visit Kirkus online.

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Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2 Kinney, Jeff | Amulet/Abrams (224 pp.) $15.99 | August 11, 2026 | 9781419788109 Series: The Awesome Friendly Kid Series, 2

In this second entry in a spin-­off of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, a boy who transformed into a bug is (mostly) restored to his old self, a severed pinky finishes medical school, and other unusual kids do surprisingly well. With line-drawn cartoons and casual silliness to crank up the comedy, Kinney again offers a set of tales more likely to cause snickers than screams, despite the array of conventional horror tropes. In the first episode, for instance, Ruben enters a device in his dad’s science lab and, after being turned into a ladybug with a human head, is rescued from spiders by a kindly cockroach who suffers a gruesome fate when his father returns. Elsewhere readers meet the Grim Reaper as a baby who “cried every time he got his skull shampooed,” a zombie named Sylvia who pursues a successful acting career by playing against type, and a lad with a second mouth on his belly who discovers in a middle school locker room that he’s not the only one sporting extra body parts. Except for the ghost who gets sucked into a vacuum cleaner and a football fan who, due to a heavenly administrative error, has to watch his team be terrible for millions of years, the stories tend toward upbeat endings. The characters are all silhouettes or the white of the paper, but names cue some diversity in the human cast.

Terror that’s on the gentler, more positive side. (Short stories. 8-12)

For an interview with Jeff Kinney, visit Kirkus online.

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An unfettered fruit vine presents a learning opportunity about free will. WANDERMELON

Wandermelon Kramer, Jacob | Illus. by Yara Bamieh Enchanted Lion Books (48 pp.) | $18.99 October 27, 2026 | 9781592704972

An unfettered fruit vine presents a learning opportunity about free will. “A seed was sprouting near Farmer Brown’s ditch,” its vine quickly marching across the field. “Day by day it freely spread,” splitting and stretching across neighboring properties. The not unwelcome guest hurtles around town until finally resting; then the melon starts to grow. Unfortunately, one avaricious fellow has to go and spoil everything, demanding payment from those who want to see (or smell or tap) the melon. The townsfolk immediately grow covetous. “Each individual thought the watermelon belonged to them. But nobody thought to ask the watermelon to whom it belonged. The watermelon belonged to itself, and it wanted to be free.” The ungovernable fruit charts its own course, leaving the town youth to remind the elders: That which is wild should remain untamed. Kramer’s compact text is tucked into white spaces amid Bamieh’s soft, watercolorlike full-page illustrations, with distinctive portraiture and two sweeping gatefolds, the thriving vine and its elaborate root system rendered in glorious detail. Reminiscent in plot of Terry and Eric Fan’s It Fell From the Sky (2021), this tale pits acquisitiveness against autonomy and community-­m indedness and offers a lesson of gentle moral intelligence for

a wide range of young readers. Characters vary in skin tone.

A sweet and frolicsome modern fable. (Picture book. 4-8)

Medusa’s Pet Rock Lau, Steph | Harper/HarperCollins (48 pp.) | $19.99 | September 22, 2026 9780063444515 | Series: Misfit Mythology

Young Medusa is having trouble making friends. Sweet-faced Medusa, who has big red glasses, tan skin, and green snakes for hair, is a pariah at school: “It wasn’t just the way she looked. If you weren’t careful, her eyes could turn you to stone.” The classroom’s posted guidelines remind Medusa to wear her safety glasses, but still, she tends to accidentally zap the class pets. One day, Medusa’s teacher introduces “the perfect class pet”: a rock. Medusa is thrilled: “A rock was one pet that even she could keep her eyes on.” She dotes on Lumpy, as she calls him, but after Medusa fears she’s lost his friendship, she removes her glasses to wipe her teary eyes, leaving Lumpy vulnerable to her gaze. One “ZAP!” later, Medusa learns that Lumpy was no mere rock: She has just “hatched a gargoyle” who loves her as she is, “zappy eyes and all.” The premise is inspired: As Lau puts it in an author’s note, she wanted to explore how someone “as monstrous as Medusa…could still deserve to be loved.” The cruelty of Medusa’s racially diverse classmates seems overblown to suit the plot, and the digital art has an undercooked look K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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(in part because Medusa and the book’s human characters lack noses), but the jokey storytelling is spry and should hold readers’ interest regardless of whether they know of Medusa’s origins.

An amusing and intriguing introduction to one of the most memorable figures from Greek mythology. (Picture book. 4-8)

How To Walk a Dog Levy, Joanne | Illus. by Rachel Logan Union Square Kids (272 pp.) | $17.99 October 20, 2026 | 9781454969365

Witnessing his former best friend shoplift menstrual products confuses a sixth grade boy with ADHD; his efforts to repair their friendship transforms both their lives. Asher Abrams is anxious to mend fences with Gilly Benjamin, who’s shunned him since their fight last summer. Dylan, formerly his second-­ best friend, shares Asher’s love of sports (the Toronto Maple Leafs are Asher’s favorite team) but little else. Asher decides to investigate, hoping to figure out why Gilly stole. He’s envious on discovering she’s being paid to walk a neighbor’s dog (his parents don’t think he’s ready for the responsibility of a dog). When Gilly bleeds through her pants, Asher offers her his sweatshirt and gets his mom to drive her home. Dylan taunts her with the nickname “Bloody Benjamin”—Asher intervenes but gets in trouble for fighting. After his mom speculates that Gilly, who’s living with her disabled, recently divorced father, couldn’t afford the pads she stole, an overeager Asher presents her with canned food he lugged to school, embarrassing her further. Starting to grasp the scope of the problem, thanks to plenty of overt instruction from his mother, he’s inspired to engage in menstrual education for his class passion project. Levy sympathetically portrays Asher’s well-supported, K IR KU S R E V IE W S

if inconsistent, efforts to manage ADHD’s gifts and challenges. The rare spotlight on period shaming from a tween boy’s perspective is refreshing. Characters largely present white; Asher is Jewish. Final art not seen. Warm, engaging, insightful, and thought-provoking. (Fiction. 8-12)

The Things We Hold Lewis-Porter, Vanessa | Illus. by Cornelius Van Wright | Lee & Low Books (32 pp.) | $19.95 September 8, 2026 | 9781643795027

With this authorial debut about a young Black girl’s struggle with her family’s housing and economic insecurity, Lewis-­ Porter makes clear that the heaviest burdens are often the ones no one else can see. Lilly is a lot like other kids. She helps her little sister get ready for school in the morning, she loves art and excels at math and kickball, she looks forward to hanging with her friend Matteo during recess, and she has to shut down the occasional mean girl. And like so many children, Lilly also carries a secret: Her family’s home is their beloved old car. Lilly works tirelessly to hide her secret, and everyday school experiences like field trips, birthday parties, or writing assignments about home become sources of mounting dread. It’s only when space in a favorite shelter opens up and she spots Matteo and his mom in line that Lilly finally gets an unexpected break from feeling alone. Lewis-Porter and Van Wright thoughtfully capture Lilly’s exhausting vigilance without erasing her many small joys throughout her day. Lewis-Porter explores Lilly’s very real stressors and sense of isolation while also gently challenging the protagonist’s own assumptions about the prevalence of young students hiding housing insecurity. Readers are handed these revelations and not much else as immersive spreads of

warm watercolors and an emotionally complex text task them with thinking through their own takeaways. A worthy discussion starter. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-8)

Fancy Dogs Malina, Tini | Trans. by Tammi Reichel NorthSouth (48 pp.) | $19.95 October 6, 2026 | 9780735846272

The ungroomed truth about classy canines. “Fancy Dogs have fancy hairdos. // Fancy Dogs wear fancy tutus. // Fancy Dogs sport fancy collars. // Fancy Dogs keep fancy hours.” So begins a series of pronouncements about these posh pups. These statements continue until the omniscient narrator suddenly decides to get real: “Nonetheless, and you know it’s true… // Fancy Dogs still gnaw on shoes. // Fancy Dogs also sniff their own bums. // And sometimes get fleas— where do those come from?” Even when they don’t scan, the rhymes are archly droll. Each illustration but the last, which features a fancy-dog menagerie, is centered on a red pooch with pointy ears, a long snout, and, more often than not, a look of bemusement—even when it’s raising its wineglass by a toilet (“And of course Fancy Dogs still drink from the loo”). Set against flat, cream-­colored backdrops, Malina’s illustrations are minimalist beauties with the look of cut-paper compositions. Translated from German and first published in Switzerland, the book slyly sniffs at snobbery (perhaps not just the canine kind) while keeping readers entertained by a pup who’s swanky and stylish on the outside but an everydog on the inside. Or, as the narrator puts it in the book’s closing rhyme, “like any dog, Fancy Ones chase, leap, and prance… // for no Fancy Dog is just fancy-pants.” A hilarious mock exposé on snooty-­ looking pooches. (Picture book. 4-8) SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Millie Fleur’s Pumpkin Problem Mandin, Christy | Orchard/Scholastic (24 pp.) $14.99 | July 7, 2026 | 9798225041335 Series: Millie Fleur

A cat investigator invites readers to help her solve more mysteries. THE VAMPIRE OF MOUNT DR AKK

A love letter to fall and its delightful, delicious pumpkins. In Garden Glen, fall turns all the vibrant gardens dull, but it’s Millie Fleur La Fae’s favorite season. After planting a varied pumpkin garden, she stores surplus seeds in her (sentient) shed, but Shed gets up and wanders away on bird feet, not unlike Baba Yaga’s house, spilling pumpkin seeds everywhere. The vines that quickly sprout take over the town and become one of the book’s main visual attractions. Pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and colors appear, including “gourds white as ghosts” and “pumpkins with curly mustaches.” Finding edible and productive uses for so many pumpkins leads to a party large enough to attract out-of-towners, depicted in a lovely two-page spread set at dusk. The resulting compost from all the pumpkins and vines benefits the next spring’s plants, demonstrating that “every season had something bright to offer.” Millie Fleur is a diligent and purposeful protagonist, if a bit peculiar, who demonstrates the power of proper pumpkin planning but also of pivoting when plans don’t go as expected. The artwork beautifully captures the autumnal setting, with the season first depicted in drab greens and browns before it bursts with color through its golden leaves and bright pumpkins. Millie Fleur appears white, while Garden Glen’s residents have a variety of skin tones. Sweater weather has found its champion. (Picture book. 4-8)

For more in the Millie Fleur series, visit Kirkus online.

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Snake Night Marcks, Ira | Colors by Addison Duke & Lara Antal | Little, Brown Ink (352 pp.) | $14.99 paper November 3, 2026 | 9780316530392 Series: Midnight Movie Adventures, 3

The discovery of a secret school for alchemists propels two Massachusetts classmates into the midst of a world-bending conspiracy to delegitimize science. Despite chucking in skeletons, encrypted spells, and atmospheric scenes of hooded figures drifting through shadowy halls, Marcks dishes up a graphic tale that’s less about eldritch magic than making, testing, and renewing friendships. Having blown up a room in her exclusive school with an alchemical experiment she hoped would win her entrance into the science club, light-skinned, red-headed Rose joins Elijah, her brown-skinned filmmaker friend, in checking out hints of an alchemical cult called the Serpent’s Garden. Rose’s adoptive single dad, Harland—a legendary retired archaeologist who seems modeled on Indiana Jones, down to the battered fedora— once battled the cult. Through their investigations, the kids learn of an old 52-acre estate along the Charles River near Dover that turns out to have been the cult’s hiding place, as well as an ancient spell that can melt your face but also recreates the golden fleece that’s guarded by the Kholkis Drakon. The author seems to make up the plot as he goes along, and rifts, tiffs, and conflicting agendas occupy the characters’ attention at least as much as mishaps and narrow squeaks do on the way to an

upbeat, if unresolved, ending. Expressive faces and postures effectively bring the characters to life. Visually immersive, if longer on pop-culture riffs than internal logic. (Graphic adventure. 10-13)

Starting Now Marks, Janae | Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins (240 pp.) | $19.99 | October 13, 2026 9780063427686

When her mother ends up in a medically induced coma following a car accident, 11-year-old Addy faces many challenges. Apart from worrying about her mom, Addy isn’t sure how to feel about having her 24-year-old half brother, Julian, coming to care for her. Julian grew up with his dad, and Addy last saw him years ago. Whenever she asked about him, Mom answered vaguely, saying it was “complicated.” As if she weren’t dealing with enough change, Addy, who’s cued Black, feels stuck between her two best friends, Thea and Luz, who are recently estranged—can she get them to spend time together and heal from their fight? When Mom slowly begins to show signs of improvement, Addy, who fears it will mean the end of her time with Julian and wishes they could be united, becomes determined to figure out what happened to break up their family. She finds her mom’s old journal and it leads to a discovery that upends her world. The story moves quickly, and Marks digs into the ups and downs of K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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relationships with sensitivity as Addy wrestles with her conflicting emotions while trying to get her best friends back together and to repair the relationship between Mom and Julian. The story also thoughtfully explores the importance of caring for your mental health and taking account­ ability for your actions; Addy is well-intentioned but needs to reflect on her attempts to change others’ feelings. A deep look at complex dynamics among family and friends. (Fiction. 8-12)

The Vampire of Mount Drakk Martin, Paul | Illus. by Camille Roy Twirl/Chronicle (80 pp.) | $14.99 paper September 8, 2026 | 9791036394102 Series: The Agatha Case Files

A canny cartoon cat investigator invites readers to help her solve more mysteries. After a successful run in Kittyville, Agatha Kitty moves on to a series of supernatural sites. Hal Hedgehog, a monster hunter, needs Agatha’s assistance figuring out which resident of Mount Drakk is a vampire; at Camp Howell, Agatha must break a lycanthropy curse by figuring out which camper was the first to become a werewolf. Ghouls, wizards, mutants, and skeletons are among the other creepy creatures Agatha must contend with. The settings are intricate, full of Where’s Waldo?–like details. Page flaps that fold out hide clues and include first-person testimony from suspects and witnesses; readers aiding the celebrated detective can peer behind the scenes into castles, tents,

the rooms of an elaborate mansion, and much more. The clues are challengingly tiny but fair, providing enough information for a focused sleuth to eliminate impossible contenders and select the right character. Readers must weigh known facts, like suspects’ location at the time of the event or their personal quirks. Carefully explained solutions at the book’s end mean that even the youngest can grasp the deductive logic. The creatures are not all scary, and many have distinctive, sometimes punny names, like Belle Lugosi. Original, unconventional characters and mazelike art elicit engagement. All eight puzzles reward close attention; solutions depend on close reasoning, an invaluable skill, but it’s also dramatic fun. A dream assignment for young detectives. (Mystery. 5-9)

Last One Picked Meeker, Audrey | Colors by Sarah Davidson Feiwel & Friends (224 pp.) | $22.99 $14.99 paper | October 13, 2026 9781250383938 | 9781250383945 paper

Two former friends are reluctantly drawn back into one another’s orbits. It’s the summer before high school, and Annabeth is ready to live her best life: re-reading the Warrior Princess series, bed rotting, and volunteering at the public library. Summer for Serena, the neighbor she was once close to, looks very different: She’ll be attending volleyball camp and doing extra

Visually immersive, if longer on pop-culture riffs than internal logic. SNAKE NIGHT

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training so she can make JV or varsity. Serena’s mom never lets her rest, demanding perfection in body and deed for her tall, thin, conventionally attractive daughter. Annabeth’s mother, hoping she’ll be more social, encourages her to attend volleyball camp too, but Annabeth, who has a larger body, worries about the experience. The antagonism between the girls builds throughout the week as Annabeth becomes a skillful player who shows more positivity and respect for others than hypercompetitive Serena. Serena, who wants to be more well-rounded for her college applications, starts volunteering at the library and displays a natural talent for customer service that Annabeth lacks. Throughout their trials, the girls gain a new understanding of what really matters to them. This heartfelt graphic novel delivers an affirming, body-­ positive message to readers. The artwork is reminiscent of Raina Telgemeier’s, with bold black outlines and Davidson’s pastel palette. Annabeth and Serena appear white, and there’s diversity in the supporting cast. A charming coming-of-age story about finding confidence in the place you’d least expect. (author’s note) (Graphic fiction. 9-12)

’Twas the Night Before Christmas Moore, Clement Clarke | Illus. by Jon J Muth Orchard/Scholastic (32 pp.) | $19.99 October 6, 2026 | 9781338812442

Muth, acclaimed watercolorist and Caldecott honoree, tackles a timeless Christmas poem. “’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house / Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” Most adult readers will know exactly where the rhyming Christmas mainstay is headed from here. To illustrate Moore’s classic, Muth employs his formidable talent with watercolors, and the medium, here applied with both great care and SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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undisguised gusto, is a natural fit with the old-timey text. Many illustrators have updated the now two-centuries-old poem’s setting, but Muth appoints the home of the mustachioed, nightshirted, and nightcapped narrator with dark furniture and wall-mounted framed portraits, reflecting Moore’s historical time. Muth offers a sui generis touch after Santa, having swooped down the chimney, lays eyes on the narrator, who has crept downstairs with a tag-along child: The two adults do a dorky, joyful dance together, during which “a wink of his eye and a twist of his head / Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.” Muth does make one contemporizing gesture: While the protagonist and Santa present as white (as does the narrator’s family), an illustration shows nine racially diverse children up in the clouds, “nestled all snug in their beds” with their eyes closed—young citizens of a multicultural world united in their dreams of Christmas. Moore and Muth are a match made in Yuletide heaven. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)

The Christmas Tree Pickle: A Holiday Tradition To Relish Newsome, Malcolm | Illus. by Nia Gould Clarion/HarperCollins (32 pp.) | $19.99 September 15, 2026 | 9780063385122

What’s the history of the pickle Christmas ornament? This story proposes an answer. It’s Christmas Eve “long ago,” and a family—brownskinned dad, pale-skinned mom, and two beige-skinned kids—is trimming the tree and missing Big Sister, “who

live[s] far away now.” While the parents and brother prepare decorative oranges, popcorn, and cranberries, the little sister’s “left with…a pickle?…The family had never decorated with a pickle before.” Pining for Big Sister, the girl decides to make a “big wish” while holding the pickle, after which a “jolly voice” whispers to the green veg, “When they find you on the tree, a special gift will appear for all to see.” The pickle springs to life, as do the other foodstuffs, but it has trouble reaching even the lowest tree branch. Fortunately, the one with the “jolly voice” (it’s Santa, of course) arrives and installs the pickle on a branch. Sure enough, on Christmas morning, the girl finds the pickle, and her wish comes true: Big Sister returns home for the holiday. Though readers may wonder why the family doesn’t notice that the food has come to life, this is a diverting fable nevertheless, and Gould’s rustic digital art captures the warmth of the season in the family’s cozy home. A sporting stab at an origin story. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Bob & Hilbert Oskarsson, Bárður | Trans. by Marita Thomsen Elsewhere Editions (76 pp.) | $19.95 December 1, 2026 | 9781962770651

Two tales about a rabbit, a dog, and a few carrots. Bob loves carrots. With his distinctly lapine look—tall ears, long rectangular front teeth, and “rather large feet”—that makes sense. He’s exceptionally proud of his carrot-­ selecting expertise: “Every time I go to the shop, I find exactly the right carrot.”

A quirky pair of stories with spare, stylish charm that’s hard to resist. BOB & HILBERT

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In the first of twin tales, Bob buys a commendable carrot, rides the bus home, and somehow finds himself without his vegetable but face-to-face with Hilbert, a dog with a carefree demeanor. As consolation, Hilbert notes that “at my place things disappear all the time.” Together, they return to the shop to select another carrot. In a second story (readers must flip the book over and read it from the other side), Hilbert phones Bob asking for help. Bob finds Hilbert floating in mid-air. The dog wants to get down and go home, but Bob isn’t sure how to respond (he eventually finds a solution—involving carrots). Translated from Faroese, the tales are spare yet generous with subtext. Young readers will enjoy the pair’s eccentricities, but the characters’ disparate ways of experiencing the world will also resonate with adults. Minimalist illustrations capture the narrative arcs succinctly. Bob and Hilbert are drawn in profile on unembellished, scenery-free kraft paper pages, with just a few simple set pieces: the carrot bin, the bus stop, a length of string, some buzzing flies. A quirky pair of stories with spare, stylish charm that’s hard to resist. (Picture book. 5-8)

It’s Almost Time For… Thanksgiving! Oso, Maisha | Illus. by Tom Knight | McElderry (32 pp.) | $10.99 | September 1, 2026 9798347108015 | Series: It’s Almost Time For…

A family prepares for an autumnal holiday. It’s time to put away October’s spooky decor and ready the house for Thanksgiving. There’s a menu to plan, a turkey to select, a parade to watch, and, of course, loved ones to share it all with. The illustrations focus on one particular family as they play football in the yard, stir and mix in the kitchen, and more. Eagle-eyed readers will spot a lamb in the background; grabbing cabbage, a four-leaf clover, and a pot of gold, this woolly pal seems to have a different holiday in K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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mind. Indeed, in a moment sure to incite giggles, Oso sets readers up for a rhyme ending with Thanksgiving (“Spending time with those you love / makes this a life worth living. Your belly’s stuffed? You’ve had enough? / Today must be…”) but instead drops another holiday instead (“ST. PATRICK’S DAY?!”). As in previous titles, Oso’s verse is buoyant and Knight’s illustrations are full of familiar holiday details and plenty of apt colors and touches. This tale covers familiar ground as characters busily prepare and express their gratitude, making it an ideal introduction to the holiday. The family at the story’s center is pale-skinned; some guests are of color. Just the thing to help youngsters get into the Thanksgiving frame of mind. (Picture book. 4-8)

Lulee Lullaby Pastuchiv, Olga | Neal Porter/Holiday House (48 pp.) | $18.99 | November 3, 2026 9780823459797

Fanciful twists on traditional Ukrainian characters bring playfulness to an unconventional bedtime tale. A drowsy-eyed child is tucked into a crib and “night is nigh” when a quirky cast of characters descend to whisk the child on an imaginative nighttime adventure. As fireflies with rounded, glowing bellies dance past, a mustached and mirthful “Slumber bumbles by the window.” Dream-da, a youthful woman wearing a Ukrainian dress and red floral crown, beckons the child. Dream-da and Slumber are searching for somewhere to spend the night, and “this home so warm and dry” proves ideal. In swoop a party of jays, “Wearing boots! Bearing fruits!,” setting off many-pointed stars who “fizz and hiss” when gathered to be flown away. A pair of cats tidy the mess before Dream-da and Slumber settle the golden-skinned child—all three now sporting red boots, a symbol of defiance and celebration—for sleep. Delicately K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Just the thing to help youngsters get into the Thanksgiving frame of mind. I T ’ S A L M O S T T I M E F O R …T H A N KS G I V I N G !

blended colored-pencil illustrations in a soft palette of blues, honeyed yellows, and poppy red feature relaxed lines and shifting proportions reminiscent of Chris Raschka’s work, with traditional cultural design elements featured throughout. Single-page artwork keeps this tale action-forward, while spare, rhyming text in white bands at page bottom suits the story’s frolicsome feel and obvious bedtime sensibilities. A striking mix of tradition and whimsical modernity. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Star

Rowan and Gemma Pla, Sally J. | Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins (304 pp.) | $19.99 | October 20, 2026 9780063395886

Rowan Monahan lives in a small town where neighbors care about each other—­but then the Caplan family arrives. They move into a large, newly constructed home (“How’s that going to fit in with this traditional neighborhood?”) on the site of an old farmhouse. Fraught incidents spark a feud: Ms. Caplan accidentally damages Mrs. Monahan’s car; Rowan, who waits tables at his family’s pub, stumbles, sending a hot baked potato flying into 14-year-old Gemma Caplan’s head; and both moms run for the one open seat on the school board. Friendship Prairie’s residents become less friendly as their campaigns get nastier. Gemma’s

triplet brothers, who are star football players, clash on and off the field with Rowan’s jealous cousin, Ty. Meanwhile, Rowan, who stutters and has processing delays, and autistic Gemma, who’s nonspeaking and uses a tablet to communicate, see beyond the feud and grow to care for each other. On the first day of school, the ninth graders, who are cued white, accidentally meet in an old darkroom that later becomes a safe space for getting to know each other. Told in Rowan’s and Gemma’s alternating, clearly differen­ tiated first-person voices, the book contains echoes of Romeo and Juliet as it follows their struggles to reframe their families’ hostile impressions of one another. Pla skillfully and concisely conveys great depth as she explores the characters’ emotions and the theme of whether words are really necessary for communication. Insightful and riveting. (Fiction. 10-14)

Cupid in Disguise Platt, Cynthia | Illus. by Josh Cleland Clarion/HarperCollins (32 pp.) | $12.99 December 15, 2026 | 9780063483057 Series: Holidays in Disguise

Cupid’s at the heart of this Valentine’s Day celebration. In a hilarious chain of events, pale-skinned Cupid’s arrows fly amok as he tries to deliver valentines. He is hit by a wayward Frisbee and distracted by heart-covered balloons. No wonder his arrows miss their mark! Instead of spreading love, Cupid receives it…from a lovesick turkey, SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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a smitten street vendor, a smooch-seeking dog, and a couple about to become engaged. It’s difficult for Cupid to deliver valentines when these victims of his arrows are chasing him everywhere. As the chaotic day nears its end, Cupid finds a way to put things right—and there’s still time to get all the valentines delivered. The small group of diverse children who participate in the Holidays in Disguise stories have only a supporting role here. While they do create a disguise for Cupid, it isn’t an integral part of the story or solution (other tales involved the youngsters coming up with wild getups for the Easter bunny and a Thanksgiving turkey). Platt’s spare rhyming text helps to keep the action moving; adults reading this one aloud should be prepared to pre-read to take full advantage of fun page turns and establish the best order of the verses on pages with illustrations showing multiple scenes. Cleland’s illustrations, dominated by pinks and reds this time, have a goofy exuberance; the amorous turkey is a standout. A humorous Valentine’s Day story that invites youngsters to spread the love. (Picture book. 4-8)

Santa in Disguise Platt, Cynthia | Illus. by Josh Cleland Clarion/HarperCollins (32 pp.) | $12.99 September 15, 2026 | 9780063483040 Series: Holidays in Disguise

The ultimate Christmas celebrity attempts to get some holiday shopping done. Wherever he turns, tan-skinned Santa’s fans mob him as he looks for presents for Mrs. Claus. How will he get everything on his list? Thankfully, he has help in the form of five children (and a hound in a holiday sweater) who disguise him as Frosty the Snowman and even a “groovy” hippie grandpa. The creative getups aren’t perfect, but they last just long enough for Santa to finish his errand. At the end of the day, Santa is disguised one last time as a present, complete with wrapping paper and a bow, and taken to his sleigh. He then 102

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bids the children good night as he and his reindeer take flight. Little does Santa know that the children have hidden a present on the sleigh to “make his Christmas nice and bright!” Platt’s spare text in short rhyming bursts adds energy to this chaotic shopping trip and makes this story fun to read aloud. Featuring icy winter blues and silvers and traditional red and green Christmas decorations, Cleland’s illustrations provide a fitting seasonal backdrop. The children vary in skin tone and wear oversize winter hats and jackets; young readers will easily see themselves in these kids—as someone kind enough and creative enough to help Santa in his time of need. A fresh Christmas tale that emphasizes creativity and kindness. (Picture book. 4-8)

Max and Ella, Stuck Together Rahim, Kristina | Nosy Crow (288 pp.) | $17.99 October 27, 2026 | 9798887773117

Max and Ella may share a father, but they’re not siblings. Years ago, Max’s moms asked their friend Hari to be their sperm donor, and Max was born. But when Max was very young, his family moved, and they lost touch with Hari. In sixth grade, after Max was harassed about his family structure by a classmate, his moms decided it might be a good idea to get to know the man responsible for half his genes. Though Max has always known about his donor, Hari’s daughter, Ella, has only recently found out she has a biological half brother. What’s worse is that the only weekend her family can meet up with Max’s requires her to cancel a camping trip with her best friend, their last hurrah before entering different middle schools in the fall. When there’s an emergency during the families’ hiking trip, Ella must set her feelings aside to work with Max and save the day. The book is written in the kids’ alternating first-­ person points of view, which works well for highlighting Ella’s resentment and

Type A personality, though Max’s voice is less distinct. Both kids have relatable struggles: Ella’s mom’s “top-­ secret, ever-so-important” job forces her to be away from home most of the time, and Max, a drummer, feels performance anxiety related to being bullied. Hari and one of Max’s moms are of Indian descent, and the other moms are implied white. Tween angst with a queer family twist. (Fiction. 9-12)

Ghungroos for Gauri Rawat, Neha | Candlewick (40 pp.) | $18.99 October 13, 2026 | 9781536241075

A young soccer player explores a newfound passion for dance. Sisters Gauri and Nandini are “like sunshine and shade—opposites in so many ways.” Gauri plays rough-and-tumble sports, while Nandini enjoys quieter hobbies, like sewing. One day, as Nandini practices Bharatnatyam, a classic Indian dance, Gauri is drawn by the distinctive tinkling of her sister’s ghungroos, or anklet bells. Their rhythm entices her, and she sneaks into Nandini’s room for a closer look. Nandini encourages Gauri to try them on and offers an impromptu dance lesson. As Gauri practices with her sister, her joy is overshadowed by worries about her offbeat rhythm and imperfect poses, so she puts away her ghungroos. At Nandini’s dance recital, Gauri admires her sister’s performance but also notices that others dance with joy even if they fumble through the moves. After, she praises Nandini, who tells her that practice is key to mastering dance—and that “mistakes don’t matter, as long as you love what you’re doing.” Gauri works as hard at dance as she does at soccer and soon finds herself excelling at both. For more dance stories, visit Kirkus online.

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Rawat teaches a much-needed lesson: Never let fear of perfectionism hold us back from expressing ourselves. Playful onomatopoeia and repetitive rhythms infuse this tale with joy. Centering a loving South Asian family, Rawat’s dynamic digital illustrations showcase the grace and elegance of this traditional Indian dance. A gentle reminder that mistakes are just stepping stones to learning. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-8)

Destroyer of Magic Riley, James | Labyrinth Road (240 pp.) | $9.99 paper | November 3, 2026 | 9798217124978 Series: The Dragon’s Apprentice, 3

In this third series entry, magical apprentice Ciara tries save her kidnapped dragon teacher through sheer hotheaded force of will. The Emperor abducts Ciara’s teacher, Scorch, before magically transporting Prince Aiden back to the palace—not realizing that an invisible Ciara has tagged along, hell-bent on rescuing Scorch. She has zero idea how she’ll do that, but that’s never stopped her before! Meanwhile, Scorch is trapped within his memories as the Emperor reads them “like they were some epic story.” He forces Scorch to relive dragons’ entry into the world and how their failed efforts to teach humans magic turned them against people—and each other. Slowly Ciara and Scorch come to understand that their actions will affect the world, for the very survival of magic is at stake. This book sets up a compelling

dilemma: If a power offers both catastrophic corruption and life-saving benefits, is it worth saving? Readers see more of the world’s complex magic, and the dragons’ unfortunate history with humans. Ciara’s bull-in-a-chinashop drive and Scorch’s lifelong regrets, mingled with his faith in Ciara, shine in this volume. Ciara’s witty banter is tempered with lots of heart. Another highlight is the book’s structure: It alternates between Ciara’s third-person perspective and chapters from The Book of Scorch. An earlier entry established Aiden as brownskinned; Ciara reads white. Skillfully explores deep themes of power, loyalty, and conflicting perspectives, all leavened with humor. (guide to Draconic words) (Fantasy. 9-12)

Phoebe’s Pockets Robert, Nadine | Illus. by Philip Giordano Milky Way Picture Books (40 pp.) | $22.99 October 20, 2026 | 9781990252464

Imaginations soar during immersive play. Phoebe, a brown-skinned girl with curly dark hair, clad in a red shirt and blue overalls, is celebrating her 3rd birthday. She dreams of spending her special day with her toys (“friends as small as can be”). But first she must locate them! As she walks, crawls, and scoots her way through a farm, a garden, a museum, and a toy shop, she collects her covert chums, placing them in her deep pockets. Eventually, friends all found, Phoebe’s heart is full as she realizes that this is “the sweetest way for [her] birthday to end.” Each spread showcases a pocket on Phoebe’s overalls where a press-out

The ultimate Christmas celebrity attempts to get some holiday shopping done. S A N TA I N D I S G U I S E

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version of each toy (located at the back of the book) can be placed along the way. Robert’s text flows well, using repetition and rhyme to encourage imaginative play. Giordano’s blocky, geometric art is bustling with color and activity; several spreads are quite busy, making the seek-and-find task difficult. In addition, Phoebe’s toys are identified only by their name, not by what they look like, making it initially unclear what readers are supposed to be looking for (toy names are matched with pictures at the end). While young readers who tend to follow their own path may not be concerned about finding the right pal for each pocket, those who adhere to the rules set before them may become frustrated. Misses its mark as a seek-and-find tale but should still spark readers’ interest. (Picture book/ activity book. 3-7)

Sesame Street: Elmo Checks In: How Is Everybody Doing? Sesame Street | Chronicle Books (110 pp.) $15.95 | October 27, 2026 | 9781797241890

Sesame Street personality and celebrated illeist Elmo made a social media post in 2024 that generated scads of responses; this book collects the wisest ones. “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” Text in a different font explains, “When Elmo sent that simple question out into the world, the responses poured in.” This book spotlights several dozen of the more advice-y replies, retooling them as insights from Elmo chased by narrative elaboration. For instance, “Elmo thinks cookies taste better when Elmo shares with friends”; the text elaborates, “Let’s take care of each other. Sharing is one way we say, ‘You belong.’” The observations correspond with glossy color photos of Elmo and the Street gang; the “Elmo shares” insight is paired with an image of Elmo handing Cookie Monster a SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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cookie. While some of Elmo’s pronouncements read like feel-good pabulum (“Elmo is proud to be Elmo! And Elmo hopes that you are proud to be you too”), others let in some darkness—e.g., “Please don’t tell Elmo to calm down.” (Elaboration: “Sometimes our feelings are so big that we just need a minute.”) This title shouldn’t be dismissed as an attempt to merchandise Elmo’s viral moment: The book was assembled with care, and the trauma dump inspired by Elmo’s 2024 post suggests that this offering can be a source of comfort—for elementary schoolers, sure, but also teens and adults. Lovingly compiled self-help from everyone’s favorite Muppet. (Picture book. 6-adult)

The Best Gift Ever Shleifer, Maya | Little, Brown (40 pp.) $18.99 | February 2, 2027 | 9780316585903

A chick’s search for a birthday present is thwarted when each potential gift seems to disappear. It’s Duck’s big day, and Chick sets out to find the perfect gift. Duck likes beautiful things, so Chick decides that a nearby flower (really a butterfly) is just the thing. But when Chick looks away, the “flower” flies off. Duck also likes round and shiny things. But the round thing Chick finds (a dandelion) blows away, and a shiny item (a snail) crawls off when Chick isn’t looking. Chick meets up with Duck empty-handed—and disappointed. Duck gives Chick a big hug (Chick’s presence was present enough), but our hero comes up with an imaginative solution, leading Duck to a

waterfall and rainbow scene that includes all of Duck’s favorite things. Spare text offers an interactive quality; young viewers will guess the true identity of the objects while Chick is baffled at their disappearance. Though the storyline is slight, the shimmering and delicate mixed-media illustrations suit the mood of this gentle friendship tale, and the art humorously plays off the clueless chick’s puzzlement. A clever and vibrant reminder that it’s truly the thought that counts. (Picture book. 3-5)

Maxolotl Sieveking, Laura | Illus. by Katie Abey Scholastic (24 pp.) | $8.99 paper September 1, 2026 | 9798225064617

An axolotl who does everything “to the MAX” is called upon to help in a moment of crisis. “There was an axolotl / who was happy as could be. / He liked to skip and jump and laugh, / and run around, wild and free!” Bubble-gum pink Maxolotl’s wild-andfreeness manifests as loud and excessive talking, running instead of walking, surfing the most extreme waves, doing daredevilish dirt-bike tricks, eating the hottest foods, and making messes. Although Maxolotl’s behavior can be irksome to his friends and worrisome to his parents, it turns out that his too-muchness, which spurred him to become certified as a bungee-jumping teacher, means he has what it takes to rescue a young axolotl who is struggling in the river and heading toward the falls. Once Maxolotl has demonstrated his heroism, the naysayers in his life change

A clever and vibrant reminder that it’s truly the thought that counts. THE BEST GIFT EVER

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their tune: “A crowd had gathered and they cheered / ‘Maxolotl is a star! / Your daring ways just saved this kid / and we love you as you are!’” Unlike Sieveking and Abey’s previous axolotl-centric outing, No One Really Knows an Axolotl (2024), which is full of wordplay-fueled surprises, this offering is predictable, and it carries a questionable endorsement of physical risk-taking. Neither the bouncy rhymes, which are hit-and-miss rhythm-wise, nor the amiable cartoony art, whose pigments are in overdrive, saves the day. Both too much and not enough. (Picture book. 4-8)

The Year I Stopped Drawing Snider, Grant | Amulet/Abrams (312 pp.) $18.99 | November 10, 2026 | 9781419788383

“What’s the point / of asking questions / with no answers?” This poignant question is asked by white-­presenting seventh grader Adam Zanes, whose pride in his drawing skills is becoming a source of frustration. Proud of being known as the best artist in the class, he struggles when new girl Marisa Mira, who’s cued Latine, arrives. Marisa attracts the admiration of their classmates and art teacher, Mr. Richardson, “a great question-asker.” Adam wonders, “What’s the point of trying my hardest? / Because even if I do, I’ll never be the best.” The solace Adam once found in his art evaporates, making his already stressful home life, where his father struggles with alcohol, unbearable. Mr. Richardson finds a sketch Adam drew and discarded in class, showing a disheveled man with beer cans, and he refers Adam to the school counselor, leaving Adam feeling vulnerable and betrayed. Soon after, Adam’s mom asks his dad to move out. Adam’s feelings are magnified by the isolation he feels as puberty affects him, his classmates, and his fast-maturing best friend, Gideon Dawes, who reads Black. The verse is raw, unflinching, and authentic; readers will relate to Adam’s narration, which K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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A book for any kid who ever wished they could talk to the animals (and plants). U N D E R C OV E R C O N V E R S AT I O N S

highlights his social interactions and varying moods. Most of the poems are free verse, but the book includes shape poems and other creative forms. Adam’s artwork and other images create an intimate diary or scrapbook feeling for this story of resilience and growth. A heartfelt look at navigating difficult journeys. (author’s note) (Verse fiction. 9-12)

Undercover Conversations: Eavesdrop on the Natural World Spicer Rice, Eleanor | Illus. by Rob Wilson MIT Kids Press/Candlewick (240 pp.) $19.99 | November 10, 2026 | 9781536238556 Series: Your Hidden Life

A book for any kid who ever wished they could talk to the animals (and plants). From speech to physical cues and even the release of chemicals, humans communicate in myriad ways, so it’s no surprise that the same is true of other life forms. For anyone who’s ever wondered what—and whether— plants and animals might be communicating, this book offers multiple points of entry, starting “Under (Ground and Water)” and working its way up “To the Sky!” The volume opens by offering readers insights into the secret lives of earthworms and tree root systems. Later chapters cover spiders, land mammals, and corvids and other flying species, like fireflies, hummingbirds, and bats. Spicer Rice dives into sensory communication modalities using accessible, age-appropriate language and K IR KU S R E V IE W S

descriptions. Wilson’s playful illustrations add to the appeal for budding naturalists. Interviews with a diverse range of scientists in the field add interest and useful perspectives; the subjects include wildlife biologist and conservationist Alex Troutman, who connects his interest in species like bats that are “misfits or misunderstood” to negative preconceptions he faces as a Black man. The use of humor and inclusion of anecdotes turn the fun facts into effective narrative nonfiction. The backmatter includes resources for further study, including opportunities to get involved as a citizen scientist. Wilson even contributes step-by-step instructions for drawing a squirrel talking on a phone.

Irresistible animal facts entertainingly conveyed as insider info. (additional facts, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 9-12)

Get a Hug Stocker, Shannon | Illus. by Lily Hoang-Zhu Simon & Schuster (40 pp.) | $19.99 December 1, 2026 | 9781665972727

A child and some animals receive a tutorial on hugging. “What can you do when your heart’s supply of / happy-jolly-joyful tickled pink runs dry?” “What can you do when you want to pout / and your silly-giddy-perky-peppy thoughts run out?” An omniscient narrator has the answer for one kid with peach skin and brown pigtails: “Get a…HUG! / Yeah, I said get a hug.” The narrator proceeds to dispense hugging advice as the kid traipses around outdoors encountering a variety of animals (and

occasional humans, who are illustrated with a variety of skin tones) who could really use some love. Words of wisdom for an elephant: “Start off small so you feel at ease; / unroll that trunk for a distant squeeze.” Stocker’s buoyant and resourceful rhymes (“There’s nothing like a hug from a sweet bovine, / but what do you do with a porcupine?”) are word- and (mostly) beat-perfect and maintain their pep and ingenuity for the length of the book, which concludes with—what else?—a group hug. Despite the subject matter, there’s not a trace of sentimentality because the cuteness, which is rampant in Hoang-Zhu’s cartoony, emotions-front colored-pencil and Procreate art, is always leavened with humor, as when a cat uses a snorkel in order to hug an affection-starved fish swimming in its bowl. Oh, and what do you do with a porcupine who’s in the market for a hug? Two words: bubble wrap. A funny and schmaltz-free lovefest. (Picture book. 4-8)

Join Our Family: A Coco and Bear Story Stott, Apryl | Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster (40 pp.) | $19.99 | September 1, 2026 9781665980555 | Series: Coco and Bear

In Stott’s latest feelings-forward tale, Bear worries about attending a family-themed event without a family member. Friends Coco, a brown-skinned little girl with black curls, and Bear, a big brown bear with an ever-present red scarf, are excited about attending that evening’s Family Fall Feast; each plans to bring a beloved family member. But when Bear receives a letter from his mom saying that inclement weather is keeping her home, he has a dilemma: “I don’t want to disappoint Coco, but I can’t go to the Family Fall Feast without any family!” Bear has an idea: “Maybe I can help some of my friends and join one of their families for the feast.” But even after Bear lends a hand to various SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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woodland-animal buddies, he fails to score an invitation. What’s a sensitive bear to do? The story feels like a relic of an earlier time, mostly in the good way: It captures a soft-edged, anthropomorphized-­a nimal world reminiscent of Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear books. There’s no strained attempt to be hip or contemporary, and this is the sort of story in which characters stiltedly telegraph the book’s message (“‘You know,’ said Bear, ‘helping others always cheers me up’”). Still, Stott’s effusive art, made with watercolors and digital ink, depicts a cozy forest setting that will surely never fall out of style with young readers. An old-fashioned, congenial friendship story. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Star

Here Comes the Band Strickland, Shadra | Illus. by John Holyfield Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster (42 pp.) | $19.99 | September 29, 2026 9781665965880

In this ode to a Historically Black Colleges and Universities tradition, a young fan watches enthralled from the stands as a marching band arrives on the field. The football game may be tied, but all eyes turn from the scoreboard as halftime begins. Drum majors command attention with impressive backbends and splits. The percussion section rattles the air with booming bass drums and sizzling cymbals. Horns buzz, color guard flags unfurl, dancers

leap, and the band weaves dazzling formations across the field. Caught up in every beat, the young Black narrator cheers, marches in place from the stands, and dreams of one day joining the spectacle. Transcending simple description, Strickland’s buoyant verse moves to the rhythms of an HBCU halftime show. Band terminology, traditions, and rollicking rhymes surge forward in a cadence that mirrors the music itself, yielding the spotlight whenever Holyfield’s magnificent acrylic illustrations demand it. And demand it they do. Richly saturated spreads pulse with movement, musicality, and Black joy, capturing not only the precision and pageantry of each performance group but also the communal exhilaration radiating between performers and crowd. Readers new to marching bands and those long-steeped in their thrills will be equally hooked from the first page all the way to the last, where informative notes from the creators trace the enduring cultural significance of HBCU marching bands, as well as their own personal connections to the topic. Halftime is game time—and now storytime, too. (Picture book. 3-8)

Love, Panda Su, Elaine | Illus. by Charlene Chua Orchard/Scholastic (32 pp.) | $19.99 July 7, 2026 | 9781546179580

A stuffed toy writes desperate letters, hoping to escape the drooly clutches of the new baby. “Dear Benny,” each missive entreats Panda’s previous owner (the infant’s elder sibling). The floofy plushie Panda is in major need

A charmingly clever look at babyhood through a favorite plushie’s POV. LOVE , PANDA

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of rescue. “You’ve left me in THE BABY’S ROOM!” Panda reports. Baby Lou has clearly been chewing on Panda’s now “SOAKING WET” ear. The single-word plea couldn’t be clearer: “HELP!” Panda’s bored with the circling elephants mobile and the crinkly book with the flappy doors and worried that Dump Truck isn’t making proper mail deliveries. While Panda can admit that maybe Baby’s uhhh…emissions are indeed “kind of special,” not so great are Baby Lou’s tears and Baba’s horrible singing. But things start shifting as Lou becomes more interactive; the two laugh over stories, communicate in their own private language, and learn to play with Benny. Despite Dump Truck’s extrication attempt, “I think I might stay here a bit longer,” Panda resolves. Chua’s lively, brightly colored anime-style illustrations marvelously enhance Su’s chatty epistolary text: Panda’s little nose displays particularly entertaining reactions, rooms are full of notable details (including culture­-specific clues such as traditional Chinese furniture and ceramics and a rice cooker), and Benny’s adorable bilingual kid-made art appears often. Chua wordlessly reveals why Panda now belongs more with Baby Lou than with Benny. Panda’s human family is cued Chinese. A charmingly clever look at babyhood through a favorite plushie’s POV. (Picture book. 4-8)

Hobgoblin and the Stanky Eight Sullivan, Kyle | Illus. by Laura Borio | Hazy Dell Press (267 pp.) | $17.95 | October 13, 2026 9781948931618 | Series: Hazy Fables, 4

The stinkiest heroes in all Rancidia reunite to confront a horrifying new threat in this stand-alone sequel. What could bring bean farmer and champion farter Hobgoblin and his K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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The stinkiest heroes in all Rancidia confront a horrifying new threat. H O B G O B L I N A N D T H E S TA N K Y E I G H T

manky cohorts back together four years after the redolent events of Hobgoblin and the Seven Stinkers of Rancidia (2019)? That would be a sudden influx of invaders clad in hazmat suits, riding All-Terrain Vacuums and wielding pressure washers and deodorizer drones. They were sent by the mysterious Lord Squeakycheeks to wash away the humble Curd-worshiping cheesemonks of the Curdled Cloister before attacking Tooterville. Expanding their number and changing their moniker as a sign of leveling up to meet this fresh challenge, the crapulous company vows to, as they declare insistently, do all they can to save their land’s prized democracy. The value of speaking out comes through loud and clear: “As with farts,” intones a wise skunk, “silence can be deadly.” The political commentary is at best thinly disguised, but the author’s heart is in the right place—and his ability to craft whole novels thickly strewn with puns, gross substances, and pop-culture references (“I love the smell of sewage in the morning!”) remains unexcelled. A revelation on the final page points to at least one sequel. Borio contributes a map, a cast gallery, and occasional gloppy action scenes to the odoriferous scramble. The diverse cast includes one “cocoa-colored” cheesemonk and a bog monster with two moms. Positively smellerific. (Fantasy. 7-12)

For more in the Hazy Fables series, visit Kirkus online.

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Kirkus Star

The Horse Dreamer Surplice, Holly | Chicken House/Scholastic (192 pp.) | $19.99 | November 3, 2026 9798225062026

In this U.K. import, a magical horse helps a girl cope with grief. Nature-loving Merryn makes a little horse out of sticks, pebbles, sorrel leaves, and white fur. Realizing a storm is in the air, she heads home quickly (storms are especially stress-inducing in her house; her father was lost in an accident at sea during a bad squall). The next day, she finds that her creation has been transformed into a real, life-size horse she dubs Sorrel. Exploring the woods and seashore with Sorrel offers Merryn an escape from tensions at home, where her mum’s deep depression means teenage oldest sister Lowen must step up and look out for Merryn and their younger sister, Tressa. The family dynamic wears on all: Lowen starts hanging out with a rougher crowd, Merryn feels a mixture of sympathy and resentment toward her mother, and once-vibrant Tressa turns quiet, “like a songbird who’d had its wings clipped.” But Sorrel may be the key to putting things right. It’s never made clear whether Sorrel is real or the result of Merryn’s imagination, and the ambiguity results in a richer story. Surplice’s language is accessible, with frequent pleasurably poetic turns of phrases that effortlessly capture Merryn’s observant perspective.

Illustrations throughout—white and dark blue ink, with masterful shading—evoke the narrative’s moodiness, nature’s beauty, and Sorrel’s magic. Characters present white; the setting is the U.K. A lovely, dreamy tale of healing. (Magical realism. 8-12)

Ilustra: Tidalrise Tadiar, Tori | Colors by Diana Sousa | DisneyHyperion (256 pp.) | $24.99 | October 27, 2026 9781368089715 | Series: Ilustra, 2

Mika and friends return for a journey to the underworld, facing more Filipino spirits and monsters in this duology closer. Summer is over, and Mika is back at Ilustra, honing her magic as the Hirang with her guiding spirit, Hanan, the Goddess of Dawn. She’s finally gotten the hang of things when a wind deity summons a storm to block the light. During the storm, Mika’s guardian, Raha, is kidnapped and taken by a giant crocodile to Sulad, the Underworld. It turns out that Raha is the vessel for an evil spirit that has taken over the form of a dead goddess. As the Hirang, Mika is the only one who can rescue Raha and save the world from flooding and darkness. With the help of best friends Halle and Teo, new friend Danyal, and frenemy Amihan, Deity of the Northeast Wind, Mika must journey to Sulad, save Raha, and stop the evil spirit from being released. Along the way, they face challenges including sea monsters and difficult deities. Mika and her friends dive deeper into the exciting, magical world of Filipino lore and mythology. While they face external threats, they also confront issues within their group, including bickering and struggles with personal and familial expectations, identity, and self-doubt. Tadiar’s striking illustrations and Sousa’s bold SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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coloring heighten the seriousness of the journey while also creating a beautiful underworld landscape based on the author’s experiences in the Philippines. A fantastical, heart-filled adventure. (author’s note, behind the scenes) (Graphic fantasy. 8-12)

Night of the Three Kings Tafolla, Carmen | Illus. by Magaly Morales Nancy Paulsen Books (32 pp.) | $18.99 October 27, 2026 | 9780593856581

On the eve of Three Kings’ Day, a curious child struggles to fall asleep when the three wise men appear for a night­ time adventure. With shoes stuffed with hay beside the bed (for the three kings’ camels—a holiday tradition), the small dreamer gets ready to slip into slumberland. A missing blue blanket, however, briefly derails those plans. Once Mamá grabs the blanket for a tuck-in, it’s back to trying to sleep, but the delicious smell of king cake proves too tantalizing. Then a tall king adorned with a yellow turban and red robe jogs by the window on a camel, followed closely by a silver-­ haired, broad-shouldered king on an elephant and a smiling, long-haired king draped in a lush velvet cape on a horse. Under the cover of stars, the little dreamer mounts a baby camel and accompanies the kings across the vast desert, ultimately arriving at a manger where baby Jesus awaits. As the wise men present their gifts, an unexpected problem arises. “What could I give? I had NOTHING!” Relying on a languid pace, Tafolla captures the spirit of Three Kings’ Day with a touch of hushed zeal and gentle humor. Appended is a brief, useful note on the holiday and its significance across Spanish-speaking cultures. Morales’ warm artwork, meanwhile, favors rich purples and blues to weave a nighttime canvas. 108

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Every character is brown-skinned, including the kings and baby Jesus. A lovely reverie. (Picture book. 4-8)

Earth: One Planet’s Epic Story Thermes, Jennifer | Abrams (64 pp.) | $22.99 November 10, 2026 | 9781419778117

From Earth’s fiery birth to the rise of humanity, this sweeping visual history takes readers on a journey through billions of years of planetary change. Beginning with the Big Bang, Thermes traces the evolution of life from soft-bodied multicellular organisms to massive dinosaurs and our earliest human ancestors. An illustrated timeline sets the scene, and an ongoing narrative tells the story of our planet, while text boxes, maps, and diagrams offer additional context. The pacing is especially effective, with tension and suspense building over multiple pages during pivotal periods of mass extinction. Accessible text explains not only what Earth may have looked like in the past, but how we know: through fossils, geological clues, and glacial marks. Fun and fascinating facts add appeal throughout. Soft watercolor washes and finely detailed pencil-and-ink illustrations are informative yet whimsical, with delicate crosshatching and vintage field-guide charm. While readers seeking highly detailed scientific diagrams should look elsewhere, the endearing artwork encourages close exploration and makes complex topics readable. Inaccurately, early humans

are depicted with relatively light skin and straight, light brown hair. The book concludes with a call for humans to consider (and change) their impact on the planet, with additional context in an author’s note. This engaging exploration of our planet’s history feels vivid, vital, and surprisingly close at hand. (sources) (Informational picture book. 7-10)

Art Heist: What Is Art and Why Do People Want To Steal It? Thompson, Erin | Illus. by Oyemathias Neon Squid/Macmillan (48 pp.) | $17.99 October 27, 2026 | 9781684496310 Series: True Crime for Kids

An introduction to stolen art throughout history. Thompson, a professor of art crime at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, includes descriptions of thefts interwoven with brief sections on the artists whose works were stolen (Picasso, Renoir, Munch, etc.) or related musings, e.g., “Why steal a painting?” Thompson demonstrates that art heists are as old as time; over 3,000 years ago, the conquering King of Elam (Iran) made his soldiers drag Babylonian loot 250 miles home. Fascinating stories are enlivened further by Oyemathias’ digital caricatures and compositions. Dense narratives are accompanied by colorful, dramatic scenes of burglars rappelling down from a skylight, cradling a carving in a baby blanket, or escaping in a speedboat. Speech bubbles, insets, multiple columns of

Wins points for being undeniably different from most of its peers. THE HOLE (SQUARED)

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text, and humorous illustrations make the design busy, but it remains manageable. Statistics add dimension, and illustrations feature a variety of skin tones. Unsolved mysteries, dangerous escapades, undercover spies, and silly mistakes keep the material appealing for its intended audience. An intriguing glimpse at the underbelly of the art world. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-16)

Paisley and Peck: Pizza Barn Torres, J. | Illus. by Mike Deas | Owlkids Books (48 pp.) | $16.95 | September 8, 2026 9781771476416 | Series: Paisley and Peck, 2

A piggy gourmand yearns for more delicious fare. In this fun follow-up to the story of high-spirited chicken Peck exploring what it means to be a farm fowl, the focus turns to Paisley, a pig who wishes he could eat something a bit more evolved than barnyard slop. While he moans at his misfortune, Turnip the mouse is busy hiding all her belongings in anticipation of a visit from her city mouse cousin, notoriously sticky-­ fingered Slick. Slick arrives with a timely gift—a Pizza Barn menu— which the gang decide to use to order something fancy for Paisley. Unfortunately, they don’t have a phone. In shockingly short order, Slick steals the farmer’s! They place an order, but they’re animals, after all, and they have no way to pay. Ingenuity, sadly, does not save the day, and Slick’s stealing begins to irk the country bunch. While the city mouse vs. country mouse trope plays an important part in the plot, Paisley and Peck’s friendship continues to provide the heart beneath the humor. For young readers in search of a supportive cast of oddballs, Paisley, Peck, and K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Takes readers on a journey through billions of years of planetary change. EARTH

Turnip are made to order. Torres’ active, dramatic word-bubble dialogue juxtaposes nicely with Deas’ muted, bucolic settings of peaceful farmland and rolling green fields. An enjoyable elementary tale of farm friendship. (Graphic fiction. 5-8)

The Hole (Squared) Torseter, Øyvind | Trans. by Kari Dickson Enchanted Lion Books (80 pp.) | $24.99 November 17, 2026 | 9781592705085

The hole-y unexpected return of a novelty picture book. In The Hole (2013), Torseter introduced readers to a long-faced fellow with a hippo/ donkey-esque countenance, who found a mysterious hole in his home. Having taken it to the scientific authorities, he discovers in this latest book that there is indeed something on its other side. That mystery, however, is scuttled away as the scientists urge him to take the hole home, noting that it should be “looked after like a valuable treasure.” He displays it on his mantel, but a neighbor complains about the appearance of a hole in her own home, and next thing they know the protagonist’s hole has disappeared. What follows is a not entirely comprehensible sequence where the hole continues to appear to readers in a variety of ways while remaining entirely invisible to the main character. A working knowledge of the earlier book helps to clarify our hero’s relationship to this small void in his life. As with the

first volume, Torseter utilizes a cleverly designed and original physical joke of an actual die-cut hole in the book, reminiscent of the 1908 The Hole Book by Peter Newell, if slightly less coherent. Despite some storytelling hiccups, this still wins points for being undeniably different from most of its peers. (Picture book. 4-6)

Siren’s Snare van Veen, Johanna | Illus. by Raquel Lagartos McElderry (288 pp.) | $14.99 | October 13, 2026 9781665973953 | Series: The Triplets Grim, 2

Eleven-year-old triplet sisters bravely voyage into the deadly Sea of Teeth to save their father from the sea witch. The second installment in the Triplets Grim trilogy once again finds sisters Nell, Annet, and Hannah embarking on a magical journey that seems nearly impossible and relying on their quick wits to save them. When the sisters, who are cued white, receive a curious letter from their widowed sailor father stating that he’s getting married and never speaking to them again, their shock turns to suspicion. After discovering that he’s on an island called Siren’s Snare in the Sea of For more in the Triplets Grim series, visit Kirkus online.

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Teeth, they go to the Goblin Market, seeking help reaching this dangerous and mysterious place. They meet many otherworldly characters, like the fiercely body-positive bearded woman Fat Frederica and the tough but surprisingly tender mermaid Seafoam. The cursed Patricia, a doll the sisters took in during the first book, shows up at all the right times and is delightfully sour and mischievous. Ultimately, it’s the sharp mind and kind personality of narrator and middle sister Annet that get the sisters out of scrapes and through their rescue mission. The deeply imaginative, richly described world drops readers into a thrilling, fast-paced adventure that keeps the pages turning. Final art not seen. A fantastic and wholly original sequel. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Star

10 Shocking Facts About Capybaras Watt, Mélanie | Scholastic (48 pp.) | $8.99 paper | September 1, 2026 | 9798225072070

A capybara is happy to help disseminate capybara facts—­ except for one really embar­ rassing one. “FACT 1: Capybaras are the biggest rodents in the world,” states an omniscient narrator, and a rotund capybara corroborates: “We’re huge!” The facts keep coming and the capybara keeps chiming in, but after the narrator supplies the ninth fact—“Capybaras are herbivores”— the rodent announces, “Enough about that. CAPYBAR AS ARE THE CUTEST! And that’s ALL anyone needs to know!” The narrator plows ahead: “FACT 10: Capybaras can help their digestion of tough plants and get essential nutrients by eating their own—” The capybara’s well-placed foot interrupts the text finishing the narrator’s thought, which the rodent completes by 110

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shouting, “PIZZA!” The narrator isn’t having it: “FACT 11: Capybaras DO NOT eat pizza.” The capybara doubles down: “FACT 12: Capybaras order PIZZA every day!” The back-and-forth gets increasingly heated until a monkey consults a book that relays the ugly truth about capybara digestion: “CAPYBAR AS EAT THEIR OWN….” The big scatological reveal (which, fortunately, remains an idea rather than an image) is, of course, a giggle-­ maker, but the meta silliness that has preceded it is just as funny. Watt’s thick linework cleanly defines the book’s cartoonish imagery, most centrally the lumpish, ultimately mortified capybara, who can convey more with his eyes than a silentmovie actor. A hilarious meta take on the sometimes disgusting truth about animal gut health. (Picture book. 4-8)

A Trophy for the Jackal Wellerdiek, Jule | Trans. by Elisabeth Lauffer | NorthSouth (32 pp.) | $19.95 September 8, 2026 | 9780735846296

Who will win the big competition? After losing the big award for “Best Hairdo” to a suavely coiffed Goose, Jackal is in a terrible mood. He wants to win a trophy more than anything. Fed up with his lack of recognition, Jackal creates an award for “Best Jackal,” which he wins easily. Soon after, everyone starts winning their own awards, complete with trophy (“Elephant wins

the prize for longest trunk,” “Sloth wins the prize for being the slothiest”) making Jackal’s achievement seem less special. After swiping everyone’s awards in the middle of the night, he is confronted by the others, who find their trophies stashed under his bed. Thinking quickly, Jackal throws a huge party celebrating everyone’s accomplishments, all the while coming up with one final scheme. Some readers may be disappointed that Jackal is never punished for his misdeeds; this is one protagonist who won’t be receiving the prize for Best Sportsmanship. But those with a taste for the subversive will be delighted; translated from German, this is a mischievous take on sportsmanship, participation trophy culture, and the perils of being a sore loser. Variously sized fonts and expressive art that cleverly uses perspective combine to showcase the energetic scenes of celebration as well as deadpan humor; young readers will revel in the exuberant facial expressions and body language. Clever fare for those who don’t mind seeing an antihero triumph. (Picture book. 4-8)

Shake This Book! Whamond, Dave | Owlkids Books (32 pp.) $18.95 | October 20, 2026 | 9781771476836

One ho-hum day, a naughty bunny decides to stir things up. “HEY! I have an idea. What if you gave this book a shake?” Swinging from a tree, the rabbit grins up at readers. The rabbit’s animal pals look

Clever fare for those who don’t mind seeing an antihero triumph. A TROPHY FOR THE JACKAL

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on; a sensible caterpillar has “a bad feeling about this.” After readers oblige, chaos ensues. The animals are all mixed up! “I think I’m a ko-owl-a-bear,” says a koala with an owl’s body. “Am I a kanga-rooster?” asks a chicken who now has a long tail and pouch. What a mess! When the animals ask the rabbit (now a “crabbit,” with the claws of a crab) to unjumble them, he calls on readers to shake the book again. More! “Shake it to the left! Shake it to the right! Shake it all around!” Luckily, readers’ efforts work, and all the now-exhausted animals are back to normal…but the rabbit may still have more mischief in mind. With all the text consisting of speech bubbles, this book begs for a storyteller ready to play with a different voice for each character—and willing to act the story out. Most illustrations feature colorful cartoonish animals with comically exaggerated facial features and movement against a white background; vivid cyclones of color effectively capture the turmoil as the animals are jiggled and jolted. Let this silly rabbit shake up your storytime! (Picture book. 3-6)

Pigeons Are the Worst!: Ready-To-Read Level 1 Willan, Alex | Simon Spotlight (32 pp.) $18.99 | August 25, 2026 | 9781665986014 Series: The Worst!

Pigeons invade this early-reader debut for Gilbert the Goblin, who has racked up quite a few starring roles in Willan’s picture books. “You know, we goblins LOVE pizza,” confides narrator Gilbert, a saucer-eyed, mint-green goblin with Yoda ears. “But we also like saving a buck or two. So when I found myself down to my last slice, I had an idea. Why not use my goblin magic to create…A DUPLICATING SPELL!” Unfortunately, the potion that Gilbert creates drips onto a pigeon who has wandered over to peck at the pizza, K IR KU S R E V IE W S

May well deserve the prize for kid lit’s second funniest pigeon. PIGEONS ARE THE WORST

and before long, pigeons are everywhere. For an early-reader title, the story contains a surprisingly large number of intermediate-­level vocabulary words (“I used my patent-pending potion-pouring pipeline…with purple plastic plungers”), but Willan gives his target audience every incentive to plow ahead: a funny premise, a clever ending, a sympathetic protagonist (Gilbert is more of a grouch in Willan’s picture books), alliteration, and occasional rhymes (“I had pigeons in my pots and pigeons in my plants. And pigeons in my previously pigeon-less pants”). Most importantly, there’s sleek cartoony art capturing the pigeons’ not-so-hostile takeover. The bird depicted running around with a pair of pants on its head— comedy gold for any age group—may well deserve the prize for kid lit’s second funniest pigeon. A real knee-slapper; this goblin is a welcome addition to the early-reader scene. (Early reader. 4-7)

Backpack, Boy, Berlin: Based on a True Story of World War II Espionage Wilson, Kip | Illus. by Matt Schu Candlewick (400 pp.) | $18.99 November 3, 2026 | 9781536239461

An American boy helps spy on the Nazis. Donald Read Heath Jr., the 10-year-old son of a U.S. diplomat, arrives in Germany in 1938. For several years, Don attends the American School in Berlin, where he befriends

American and Jewish German children, as well as Hitler Youth members who “don’t seem to take / the whole business / seriously.” Feeling a sense of belonging in Berlin, Don joins in his parents’ espionage by carrying secret notes. The story’s historical inspiration is intriguing, but the verse format is neither structurally nor thematically relevant. The plot is pleasantly restrained, focusing on Don’s coming of age rather than dramatic clashes, and Schu’s illustrations, reminiscent of charcoal and ink, are charming and atmospheric. The book is filled with historical details and imagery (like the titular backpack) that give life to Don’s world and quietly educate readers on topics like the Nazis’ anti-waste campaign and the rejection of the Jewish refugee ship the St. Louis by the U.S. Some details would have benefited from additional contextualization, however, notably Don’s list of Hitler’s hated groups: “Jewish / Polish / French / British // and / probably / even / American.” While the child narrator can be forgiven for not intimately understanding Nazi ideology, contemporary readers deserve a fuller picture of this and some other topics.

Atmospheric but in need of more fleshing out. (cast of characters, author’s note, media lists, glossary, bibliography) (Verse historical fiction. 9-13)

For more World War II tales, visit Kirkus online.

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Nugget and Tenders’s Eggcellent Adventure: A Star Chapter Book Windness, Kaz | Colors by David Deen Simon Spotlight | (112 pp.) | $18.99 paper November 24, 2026 | 9798347110766 Series: Time-Traveling Chickens

Two EGGceptionally smart chickens try to stop a mindless army of their peers. Nugget and Tenders arrive back at their Super-Secret Lab after their trip through time to the Cretaceous, hoping to discover that history has changed in chickenkind’s favor. Unfortunately, mad scientist Dr. Dipping-Sauce (who in the first book inadvertently imbued them with intelligence) followed them and fixed things so that her boss’ evil plans could proceed as scheduled. Mr. Kernel’s army of poultry is ready to obey his orders to overthrow the American government. Nugget and Tenders take on the task of stopping Kernel and saving the mind­c ontrolled fowl— especially an adorable little f luff named Waff les, who they realize, rather improbably, is their own progeny. Consulting a book titled Chicks’ History, the determined duo enlist the heroes within to fix their time machine and create a “Mech Rex” with which to combat the clucking troops. These heroes are “chicks,” too, a superstar lineup of female wonders, among them aviator Amelia Earhart, physicist Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu, and NASA engineer Dr. Katherine Johnson.

Entirely unpredictable and relentlessly absurd, Nugget and Tenders’ latest tale incorporates egg-based punnery, more strange sight gags, and a suitably dastardly bad guy sporting a dramatic shock of hair on his oversize head. Though this one might be a head-scratcher for readers unfamiliar with the previous entry, those who have cultivated an affection for its protagonists will love the nonstop energy of this frenzied follow-up. Human characters are diverse in skin tone. Furiously funny, fine-feathered heroism. (Graphic fiction. 7-10)

Day of Little Angels Wing, Natasha | Illus. by Robert Casilla Atheneum (32 pp.) | $19.99 September 8, 2026 | 9781665972581

With sadness, young Pablo looks ahead to Día de los Angelitos, a Mexican celebration honoring children who have died. Similar to Día de los Muertos, the Day of Little Angels is a time when families welcome the spirits of their young loved ones home, if only brief ly. Although the holiday is filled with special treats and colorful decorations, Pablo is overwhelmed by the loss of his toddler cousin Angelina. As his parents prepare traditional foods in their bakery, Pablo hesitates to make a sugar skull for Angelina. When he confides in his mother about how deeply he misses his cousin, she encourages him to

Two EGGceptionally smart chickens try to stop a mindless army of their peers. NUGGET AND TENDERS’S EGGCELLENT ADVENTURE

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remember the joyful moments they shared. Together, the family decorates an ofrenda with foods and toys for Angelina. Pablo adds a rattle he knows she loved. Later that night, he hears it shake and is comforted by the feeling that Angelina has returned for a visit. Delicately depicting the loss of a young family member, this culturally grounded story thoughtfully explores how children experience grief. Wing’s straightforward, accessible prose gives readers language for talking about sadness, remembrance, and the difficult questions that accompany death. Casilla’s finely detailed watercolor and pastel pencil illustrations vividly capture the traditions of Día de los Angelitos, from vibrant marigolds to intricately decorated sugar skulls.

Somber and celebratory, this heartfelt story brings valuable cultural perspective to conversations about death. (more info on Día de los Angelitos, recipes, glossary) (Picture book. 4-9)

The Great Cake Caper Woodgate, Harry | Atheneum (352 pp.) | $9.99 paper | November 3, 2026 | 9798347114375 Series: Cinnamon Crumb, Baking Detective, 1

A crew of baking sleuths must solve a confectionary caper before time runs out. Cinnamon Crumb comes from a family of bakers, though you might not guess that if you tried her disastrous cakes. Since her parents are often away seeking special baking ingredients, she lives with Aunt Tatin, who’s “like a nanny/housekeeper/scary school mistress,” in the town of Marzipan. Marzipan holds the annual 10-day Great Cake Carnival, and its biggest event is the cake competition, where the victor wins the coveted Twelve-Tiered Crown. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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This year’s carnival is at risk thanks to a feud between two past winners. Victoria Sponge believes Madeleine “Maddie” Macaron is cheating, and she asks Cinnamon to spy on Maddie. But Maddie believes Victoria is threatening to sabotage her cake—and she wants Cinnamon to investigate. It’s hard to be a double agent, so Cinnamon asks her best friend, Rafi Ekmekçi, and a Sugarsmith named Amber to help. Things turn topsy-turvy as the young detectives begin to question who the real culprit is, and friendships, family secrets, and town mysteries threaten to boil over like burnt sugar. The charming illustrations, conversational tone, and humorous wordplay will entertain readers. Cinnamon is admirably earnest in her investigations, and her interactions with adults paint her as savvy. The main cast is diverse: Cinnamon, Maddie, and Aunt Tatin appear white; Rafi’s family is cued Turkish; and Victoria and Amber (who has Tourette syndrome) present Black. A deliciously sweet mystery. (map) (Mystery. 8-12)

Nice To Eat You Yin, Karen | Illus. by Carolina Coroa Orchard/Scholastic (32 pp.) | $19.99 July 7, 2026 | 9781338851922

Don’t believe everything you see—or hear. An aquahaired, bespectacled granny finds some hungry kids in a forest and invites them over “for a bite.” Throughout, the author contrasts what the children hear (“a crooked little house full of goodies…and bodies”) with the innocuous remarks the sweet-looking creature claims she intended to say (“I meant EVERYBODY”). Eventually the kids are lured into her house, where “the time has come to say… K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Stranger danger warnings dressed up in a jokey Halloween getup. N I C E T O E AT YO U

goodbye.” The granny corrects herself: “I meant HELLO! Say hello to the kittens! My furry friends have been waiting and waiting to finally…meet you.” But she amends herself one last time: “They would love to EAT YOU!” Throughout, the old woman refers to the youngsters as her “little biscuits,” “dear dumplings,” and “scrumptious morsels”—hints as to her true intentions. Coroa’s artwork magnifies both the silliness and the suspense of Yin’s clever text, making for a book that’s both hilarious and (just a bit) scary. The kids happily imagine playing with kittens, heightening the shock when the pets are revealed as ferocious felines. But their chunky, Day-Glo pink and indigo appearance will deter nightmares. No, the youngsters don’t escape, but there’s no real threat from the cartoonishly fearsome Halloween figures. The old lady is pale-skinned; other characters vary in skin tone.

Stranger danger warnings appealingly dressed up in a jokey Halloween getup. (Picture book. 5-9)

Maybe Monsters Zollars, Jaime | Little, Brown (48 pp.) | $18.99 September 1, 2026 | 9780316481557

A rabbit’s active imagination makes going outside a daunting prospect. Simon, an anthropomorphized white rabbit, lives alone and loves being home: He “knew all the sounds, the smells, and the sights.”

But Simon must leave the house: He’s out of food, and his library book is due. The problem is that there are so many maybes outside—­“Maybe a drizzle, maybe a downpour, maybe dragons!”; a grayscale illustration shows Simon’s imagined bogeymen. Then again, “Maybe…”—he opens his front door and walks outside—“… daisies.” The flowers’ calming beauty gives Simon the confidence to venture through the forest to the bus. As he proceeds, scary figments of his imagination continue to be offset by pleasant realities. After Simon does his grocery shopping, he goes to the library, where he’s frightened away by “MONSTERS!!!” (He missed the poster outside the library promoting the day’s “MONSTER STORYTIME!”). By book’s end, this unusual and memorable social-­ anxiety story has become a friendship tale, too—and what’s a better incentive to leave the house than friendship? Much of the narrative is told with wordless panels that invite readers to interpret Simon’s facial expressions. His house’s compact green-andpeach interior is beautifully appointed; no wonder Simon doesn’t like to leave it. An original story about the power of positive thinking and the rewards of facing one’s fears. (Picture book. 6-9)

For more by Jaime Zollars, visit Kirkus online.

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Young Adult

LAURA SIMEON

THERE ARE TWO frustrating scenarios that all book lovers are likely to recognize: 1) picking up a buzzy book and wondering what all the fuss is about, and 2) getting stuck in a reading slump, where nothing seems appealing. In her TEDx talk, “Reading With Purpose,” library legend Nancy Pearl argues that we often misunderstand “what goes on in our reading lives.” To prevent disappointment—­and avoid mismatching kids and books—she suggests we “start thinking about what it is about the book that draws us in, rather than what the book is about.” Pearl identifies four “doorways” to reading: story, character, setting, and language. Of course, all books blend these elements to varying degrees, but matching your reading type with a book’s primary doorway (which can be gleaned from what people emphasize when they talk about it) is a radical and helpful shift. Four teens might all love high fantasy, for example, but one might be drawn to nonstop action, another to relatable protagonists, the third to robust worldbuilding, and the last to 114

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especially well-crafted prose. Any given fantasy novel likely won’t appeal equally to all of them. STORY: Pearl says that “a book with story as its biggest doorway…is one that readers describe as being page-turning” and one where “they desperately wanted to discover what happened next.” A good example is Lily Anderson’s clever, darkly funny Demonology for Overachievers (Henry Holt, Sept. 22), in which Merritt Morland Maldonado, determined to get the full-ride college scholarship sponsored by a local corporation, makes a deal with a demon. But then her chief academic rival makes his own demonic bargain—and the other finalists start dying. CHAR ACTER: According to Pearl, “readers describe a book in which character is the biggest doorway as one where the people…seem utterly real,” and “when the book [is] over, they feel they’ve lost someone dear to them.” That’s how readers will feel saying goodbye to the hilariously self-­ deprecating eponymous protagonist of Huda F Would Love You? by Huda

Fahmy (Dial Books, Oct. 20), the final volume in a delightful series. Here, Huda studies Jane Austen, learns to recognize relationship red flags, gets support from her Muslim sisterhood, and develops a healthy sense of self-love. SETTING: Pearl observes that “readers of novels in which the setting doorway is the largest one say things like, ‘I felt that I was there. I knew every street and shop of that town.’” Susan Metallo’s Hearts on the Table (Candlewick, Sept. 22) immerses readers in a place of both great peril and tremendous natural beauty: the Dalmatian coast during World War I. This inclusive story, playing on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night,

features lush sensory descriptions that bring the seaside village setting to life. LANGUAGE: “People who have read and loved a book in which language is the biggest doorway will say things like…‘I kept reading slower… because I wanted to savor the language,’” says Pearl. The tender, lyrical verse of Margarita Engle’s Evamar (Atheneum, Sept. 8) introduces readers to young lovers Río and Evamar. They meet when Evamar visits Cuba from New Jersey—the dying wish of her beloved abuela. The poignant, evocative poems capture both political and personal struggles. Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Illustration by Eric Scot t Ander son

MAKE YOUR PERFECT BOOK MATCH

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EDITOR’S PICK Russet-haired Tansy is the humble housemaid to Lady Aster, an old woman who lives in the Oubliette, a stone cottage by the sea. Tansy’s routine is the same every day, “soothing in its mundanity. Boil water. Warm the pot. Milk in the morning, lemon in the afternoon.” But she has a deep loneliness and an undefinable longing for something more. Merit is a Carrion Knight, one of the ruthless raiders who steal children to supply their ranks. They await the prophesied return of the Unmaker, who created an undead army 500 years ago. Merit, who feels repulsed

These Titles Earned the Kirkus Star

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by her duties, commits an act of mercy; as punishment, she’s stabbed and left to die. Guided by a little dog, Merit makes her painful way through the forest, finds a crumbling house, passes through a strange door—and stumbles into the Oubliette. Using her herbal knowledge, “freckle-­cheeked,” brown-eyed Tansy heals Merit, who has dark hair and marble-pale skin, and the two become enamored with each other. As their relationship grows, Merit learns the truth of the Unmaker’s legend, while Tansy discovers why she’s been repeating the same day

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The Velvet Knife By Maureen Johnson

Lavender and Hemlock Wilkinson, Lili | Delacorte | 416 pp. | $13.99 paper | November 10, 2026 | 9798217026593

over and over again. This is a tender, passionate love story set within a rich fantasy realm with plenty of immersive lore for readers to discover. The young lovers’ relationship easily sustains

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readers’ interest through the chapters set in the Oubliette and beyond, and the adorable dog is a bonus.

A swoonworthy romance set in an exquisitely described world. (Romantasy. 14-18)

For more fantasy novels, visit Kirkus online.

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Morally gray characters with believable dialogue enhance the narrative. DON’T PRINT THIS

A French Star in New York Adams, Anna | Wattpad Books (304 pp.) | $12.99 paper | October 20, 2026 | 9781998341719 Series: A French Girl in New York, 2

A young pop star struggles with her rising fame in this sequel to A French Girl in New York (2024). After sky­ rocketing to success, Maude Laurent, a Black 16-year-old from France, faces the pressure of coming up with her next big idea for top record label Soulville. Still keeping their relationship private, Maude and fellow performer Matt Durand, who’s cued white, must balance their budding romance while working together and hiding from paparazzi and influencers even as Maude strives to create her own identity as an artist. But with Lexie Staz, a journalist with Hollywood Buzz, determined to find out who she is dating, that will be harder than Maude realizes. Maude, who grew up with foster parents, is also navigating new family dynamics and hopes of being accepted by her Nigerian birth father’s family, something that’s complicated by old emotional wounds. Little time has passed since the events of the first book, and Adams seamlessly picks up the threads, dropping readers right back into Maude’s world. New readers can acquire any needed context from references built into this book. Although some repetitive plot points become tiresome, tensions build quickly, and there’s a strong balance between the exploration of Maude the pop star and Maude the young adult who’s seeking more truths about her 116

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heritage. The complexity of her feelings is a highlight of the book. A thoughtful, fast-paced story of self-discovery with engaging twists and turns. (Fiction. 14-18)

The Bible in 52 Weeks for Teen Boys: A Yearlong Bible Study Bixby, Wes | Illus. by Agnieszka Zylinska-Rekas Callisto Teen (208 pp.) | $14.99 paper October 6, 2026 | 9798897170951 Series: The Bible in 52 Weeks

United Church of Christ minister Bixby invites teen boys to read the Bible in order to “let the words connect to your heart and help you draw from them daily.” Each week’s reading schedule includes reflections and open-ended questions relating to teens’ lives. The sections conclude with interactive material with headers like: “And I Pray, “Bible Truth,” “Verse Focus,” and “Stronger Together.” Bixby’s enthusiasm for the Bible comes through: He clearly loves to highlight elements of the Bible that can lead to surprising insights, like miracles, parallels between stories, and connections to contemporary life. He sets the stage for success in this yearlong endeavor by encouraging teens to set up routines that help them fall into a reading rhythm and by giving them permission to skim as needed and not feel pressured to understand everything. Although the author tells readers that the “book is designed to be your companion if you want to study Scripture alone,”

some basic supports that would aid comprehension may need to come from outside resources. Some readers may wish for more acknowledgement of difficult familial situations or other struggles. Rather than encouraging readers to challenge interpretations of biblical passages, the emphasis is on making personal connections. Zylinska-Rekas’ soft, soothing spot art depicts images, such as a skateboard, campfire, mountains, and ocean waves, that often seem unconnected to the content. An inviting and ambitious guide that’s especially well-suited for group discussion. (group study guide, resources, index) (Nonfiction. 13-18)

Off Balance Chase, Paula | Wednesday Books (368 pp.) $21 | October 20, 2026 | 9781250809414 Series: The Heights, 2

Two elite high school gymnasts manage secrets and scandal as they compete for the top spot in this follow-up to Balancing Act (2025). Best friends Alicia “Leesh” Swanson, who’s Black, and Selena Torres, who’s Afro-Latina, adjust to a new normal after a rough start at the Heights School of Tech­ nology, Sports & Arts, their charter school. Leesh is adjusting to living with her newly discovered sister and former gymnastics rival, Chyna—and her old secret boo, Spencer, could be enrolling at the Heights. Leesh is happy with her boyfriend, Jamaal, but the history she shares with Spencer might be exposed if the anonymous gossip profile Hot Lipz keeps dropping hints on the Chatter app. Selena is starting to worry that Chyna and Leesh are forming a real sisterly bond, and she’ll be the odd one out. And then she learns that her old Winston Prep tormentor, white lacrosse player Spencer, might attend the Heights. His racist taunts were part of why she K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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transferred and secretly reported him and his friends for vandalism. How does Hot Lipz know what really happened? As more secrets are revealed, Leesh and Selena struggle to maintain their bond and focus on the mat. This intriguing, layered story shows both parents’ and teens’ flaws and struggles. Personal relationships are front and center, built on explorations of media, influence, class, and friendship. A recap of events from the first book allows this sequel to work as a stand-alone. Grounded, compelling, and full of drama. (Fiction. 14-18)

Don’t Print This Chin, Monica | Page Street (400 pp.) | $21.99 September 22, 2026 | 9798890034946

An introverted teenager investigates a complicated missing person case that puts his own future at risk. For high school senior Arthur “Ace” Li, who’s white and Chinese American, every morning in Milltown, Connecticut, is the same: laps at the pool, a protein shake, then school—until his best friend, Sophie Chu, tells Ace that Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Radhika Malhotra has vanished from a local hotel. Radhika is the mother of Akash Patel, a boy Ace became close to in middle school, when Akash’s family emigrated from India. They haven’t spoken in years—not since Akash, a wheelchair user who has Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, abruptly moved to New York City for surgery—but Radhika’s disappearance brings Akash back to Milltown. Ace becomes entangled in a secret investigation to uncover the truth behind a story Radhika was investigating. The boys’ complicated friendship, which included romantic and sexual elements, stirs difficult memories for Ace of disordered eating and abandonment (by his mom and Akash, who left town without a word). Ace and Sophie’s thrilling search for answers leads them to K IR KU S R E V IE W S

discover corruption, abuses of power, and threats from the gossip blog Milltown Mud. Debut author Chin cleverly includes case notes like those Ace uses on the debate team between chapters, offering insight into his thoughts and feelings. Realistic, morally gray characters with believable dialogue enhance the narrative as it explores themes of self-discovery, healing, and forgiveness. Authenticity abounds in this polished murder mystery turned exercise in vulnerability. (content warning) (Mystery. 14-18)

On Your Way Chou, Emily | Emanata (344 pp.) | $25 paper October 20, 2026 | 9781772621259

Two Chinese Canadian girls living decades apart have big dreams for their futures, but their parents’ expectations stand in the way. In 1998, 16-year-old Allie Wong resents her mother’s obsessive insistence that she become a doctor. She’d rather be learning guitar from her only friend, Keefer, who’s a ghost. When Allie gets 85% on a chemistry test, her angry mother finds her a peer tutor, Vienna Huang, who introduces Allie to the indie music scene and new friends—she even joins a band, Tiger Bomb. Allie struggles to keep her mom happy (her dad is in Hong Kong), hoping to gain the freedom to do what she truly wants. In 1971, Katherine Chen wants to become a doctor and is admitted to the University of Toronto, but her immigrant father will allow only her brother, Keefer, to pursue higher education—even though Keefer isn’t academically oriented and is only interested in playing guitar. As a reward for a kind deed, a mysterious man in Chinatown grants Katherine one wish—changing her life forever. This moving dual-timeline graphic novel, infused with a hint of magic, explores personal aspirations and family relationships, both fraught and loving. While their goals differ, Allie’s and Katherine’s

lives contain many parallels. Their storylines are easily distinguished thanks to different colors in the monochromatic panels: green for Allie’s and blue for Katherine’s. The clean, fluid artwork accentuates the characters’ emotions. A heartwarming story that highlights intergenerational patterns. (Graphic fiction. 13-18)

Formula He’s the One Christopher, Andie J. | Avon A/HarperCollins (240 pp.) | $12.99 paper | September 1, 2026 9780063487086

After Tessa James’ mom died in a car crash, her dad retired from car racing and she stopped driving go-karts—but now she has a chance to follow her dream. Tessa’s dad, an Indy 500 winner, wanted her to be the “first full-time female Formula 1 driver.” She learned the ropes from him, but ever since her mother’s death, the high school senior has cried whenever she’s behind the wheel. Tessa, whose mom was from Monaco, is supposed to be spending the summer before entering Indiana University working in the office of her dad’s machine shop, which she isn’t thrilled about. But then Desi, her godmother whose hedge fund manager husband bought a racing team, offers her the chance to shadow engineers at the Monaco Grand Prix. There Tessa reconnects with her longtime nemesis, Pietro Deveraux, who’s part of Desi’s team’s driver development program. Pietro is nervous about his first F1 race, especially given the relentlessly abusive behavior of his French father, a famous racer. But now the infuriating Pietro starts flirting with Tessa—before asking her to be his fake girlfriend for the week so he can avoid other women’s attentions and focus on the race. Dense exposition impedes the development of Tessa’s and Pietro’s emotions, preventing their rapidly developing romance from feeling genuine. Tessa’s grief and insecurities SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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provide compelling depth, but the pair’s frequent kissing scenes are disappointingly flat. Both leads present white.

A lackluster sports romance. (playlist) (Romance. 14-18)

Our Bloody Souls Davis, Ana | Keylight Books (368 pp.) | $35.99 October 6, 2026 | 9798887982274 Series: Foul Is Fair, 2

In this reimagining of Macbeth, a young queen and king have unleashed supernatural destruction on their kingdom, and now only they can save it. In Davis’ sequel to My Keen Knife (2025), Adelina is about to be crowned queen of Jumaral, turn 18, and marry her pretend suitor, Seba. But this power came at a cost: Adelina killed her father, and Seba killed his brother, Jas, and left him at the gates of the underworld. As their foes close in, the pair must navigate shifting alliances with and among royals, ghosts, witches, an alchemist, and an ocean goddess to stay alive and protect the kingdom from the escaped demons who are slaughtering its people. Jumaral’s turn-of-the-20thcentury setting, established through its technology, feels inspired by Portugal. The racially diverse world includes Alayyl, Jas’ distant hometown on the border between Huojen and Almard, which has “domes and minarets” and “colorful Almaric script.” Unrelenting rain, thunder, and crashing ocean waves create a wet, grim mood. Although the story raises salient questions about power and its harms, it gets bogged down in a sprawling cast of thinly drawn characters, a convoluted plot, and excessive exposition. The novel includes broadly diverse LGBTQ+ representation: Jas presents bisexual, Adelina reads asexual and aromantic, and supporting characters offer Sapphic and nonbinary representation. Gory depictions of violence and dead bodies may please horror fans. 118

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An imaginative but hard-to-follow duology closer. (map, content warning, pronunciation guide) (Fantasy. 14-18)

Malevolent Souls Dawson, Delilah S. | Disney/Random House (368 pp.) | $19.99 | September 1, 2026 9780736447652

What would you sacrifice for your heart’s desire? Every year at the Midsummer Ball, 16-year-old fairies receive their wings and begin to study magic. The unlucky few who don’t sprout wings are sidelined into lives of working as servants. Black-haired, pale-skinned Maleficent comes from a noble fairy lineage, so it’s unimaginable that she won’t be granted wings—and yet, that’s exactly what happens. Immediately forced into servitude in her own home, she’s barely acknowledged by her parents. She soon runs away with a group of wingless friends who hope to find better opportunities living among humans beyond their restrictive community. Maleficent feels drawn to an old, abandoned castle that possesses magic within its walls and supplies their every need or request. It’s incredible—until they discover that they can’t leave. The sentient castle eventually reveals something only to Maleficent: a room filled with wands and an ancient grimoire. Maleficent is ecstatic to finally possess magic, the only thing she’s ever wanted, and she’s willing to sacrifice whatever is required to obtain more power. Dawson’s latest has solid worldbuilding and deliciously meaty prose. The narrative is less about the

descent of a character into darkness and more an exploration of what happens to someone with extreme, absolutist views under the wrong circumstances. Readers willing and able to confront the darker aspects of such a perspective will find much to dig into. A truly villainous origin story. (Fantasy. 13-18)

A Fury Unbound Edwards, Rachael A. | Peachtree Teen (336 pp.) | $19.99 | November 3, 2026 9781682638637 | Series: Threads of Fate, 2

In this duology closer, Lena and Dimas face the consequences of their actions in A Fate Un­woven (2025). After confronting the Haestia, they’re branded heretics and outlaws. With few allies left, they travel to Verlond alongside Maia and Casimir to seek the queen’s aid in finding the Lost Sisters in hopes of stopping the goddess Næbya from destroying them and resurrecting the Furybringer. Although Næbya’s influence is weaker in Verlond, she continues to invade Lena’s mind. To strengthen the Lost Sisters and deepen Lena’s connection to them, the group, now joined by Prince Vallen and the guard Kadrina, undertakes a pilgrimage to the Sisters’ shrines, encouraging the people of Verlond to renew their worship and bolster the goddesses’ power before the final confrontation. Lena isn’t the only one struggling against Næbya’s influence. Dimas battles the effects of the dark magic his uncle surreptitiously used on him, a taint that threatens to turn him

Electric tension, strong prose, and intriguing mysteries distinguish this work. NIGHTCURSE

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and the rest of the afflicted into Næbya’s puppets. As the battle draws near, both the white-presenting leads must confront their fears, trust themselves, and rely on those around them if they hope to prevail. This satisfying conclusion delivers a heartwarming ending for Lena, Dimas, and their richly developed supporting cast. Diverse skin tones are represented throughout, and queer relationships are written naturally into the worldbuilding. A strong finish that pairs epic fantasy with emotional depth. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Wondrous Fawcett, Heather | Disney/Random House (368 pp.) | $19.99 | October 6, 2026 9781368114561

Alice returns to Wonderland, only to find that she might not be as special as she thought. Now almost 18, blue-eyed Alice has run away to Wonderland for good, fleeing marriage to an old man in favor of joining the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse at their tea parties. She sets up Alice’s Traveling Tea Shop, but her new life is soon interrupted by the arrival of a variety of other Alices—one French, some brown-skinned—who had adventures in Wonderland as children and have now returned to save it from a new threat, as prophesied by the White Queen. Though Alice doubts she’s the “true Alice” of the prophecy—the one who can slay three mock dragon invaders—she joins them in setting off on a new adventure. While the story centers on Alice, the strange, lovable, savage, and funny parts of Wonderland are ever present, including quirky utterances from familiar characters, unsettling insights from Alice, and whimsical descriptions of teacups, quests, and magic. The narrative doesn’t linger too long on the plight of those who have returned from adventures, instead turning to what might happen next and examining what makes someone a hero. A sequel rather than a fractured tale or retelling, this Alice story K IR KU S R E V IE W S

maintains the spirit of the original, solidifying some aspects of Wonderland while leaving others as nonsensical and unexplained as ever. Good fun in a topsy-turvy world. (Fantasy. 12-18)

Guard My Heart Fedel, Sabrina | Delacorte Romance (336 pp.) | $12.99 paper | October 13, 2026 9798217118137

A 17-year-old hockey goalie in Connecticut tries to stay focused on her dreams. Senior Ryleigh Vento is determined to secure a D1 college scholarship. This is her last chance: Junior year was a “complete dumpster fire” thanks to the stress of her mom’s cancer and the toxicity of Coach Blackmon (his targeting of Ryleigh for criticism almost made her quit). Now, “Operation No Distractions” is in full swing. Then star French Canadian hockey player Jett Robitaille shows up on the rink and at her school. When Jett offers to help her improve her game, she accepts—even though the price is fake-dating him. He wants to make Ryleigh’s nemesis, cheerleader Peyton Malloy, jealous; Jett likes Peyton, but she only dates college boys. As the plan begins to work, Ryleigh must deal with her own changing feelings for Jett. The engaging, relatable, and realistically flawed characters are the book’s greatest strength. Ryleigh’s anxieties highlight the pressures teen athletes face, and her strength and vulnerability come through in how she deals with her asthma and the aftermath of her mother’s illness. Her new coach, who’s a woman, is a valuable role model who has high expectations and also demonstrates care for the players. Likable Jett has depth, humility, and charisma. Fedel’s strong pacing, with steadily rising tension, will hook readers. The lead characters present white. A sweet romance with well-drawn characters and well-timed emotional beats. (Romance. 13-18)

Kirkus Star

Nightcurse Hinds, Emma | Wednesday Books (352 pp.) $21 | October 13, 2026 | 9781250369550

One hundred and fifty-seven years after his resur­ rection, Emrys Swift is still treated like a child. Cursed to be 17 forever, his opportunities are limited—he’s a “child revenant” in NeverEnd, one of 10 British libraries of magic, which he and other undead call home. Emrys is finally given the chance to prove himself as a tutor to Sosa, a recently resurrected 16-year-old aspiring tennis star from Syria, who drowned while seeking asylum. She’s grappling with the shocking reality of her new circumstances. Emrys, who has a “dead-Victorian white-boy vibe,” is dismayed to discover that he must share this responsibility with the insufferable 19-year-old, olive-skinned Aubrey Vale. The “entitled posh boy from London” is a shape-shifter and respected necromancy researcher. But there are more important things at stake than their rivalry. Emrys needs Aubrey’s help to secure NeverEnd’s future even as the all-powerful Merlin Foundation questions whether “running a foster home for ‘dead teenagers’” is an appropriate use of its resources. Aubrey agrees, on one condition: Emrys must help him find the missing books he needs for his research. Their search propels the pair on a journey full of unexpected dangers, supernatural entities, and powerful ancient magic. The worldbuilding is creative and compelling, enriched by well-developed supporting characters. Electric romantic tension, strong prose that’s both sophisticated and accessible, and intriguing, interconnected mysteries distinguish this work. Refreshingly original: a heartfelt story of self-discovery, sacrifice, and the meaning of home. (family tree) (Fantasy. 13-18) SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Kirkus Star

The Velvet Knife Johnson, Maureen | Harper/HarperCollins (400 pp.) | $19.99 | September 29, 2026 9780063256019 | Series: Truly Devious

Eighteen-year-­ old sleuth Stevie Bell is back to investigate another mystery in this standalone addition to the Truly Devious series. Stevie is nursing a broken heart following her recent split from boyfriend David. Fed up with her parents’ lack of understanding and support—they regard her interest in solving murders as “creepy” and “weird”—she announces that she’s not coming home for Christmas. But now she’s at a loose end; spending winter break “alone on murder mountain” at Ellingham Academy, her Vermont boarding school, doesn’t seem ideal. So when the opportunity arises to accompany her close friend Nate to New York City, she willingly agrees. The third-person chapters switch between Stevie’s contemporary experience among a group of eccentric, often-clashing residents of a Manhattan apartment building and a young woman named Blue who becomes entangled in a cult in the 1970s. A trail of clues is laid that Stevie can’t resist following. Readers will be kept guessing how the intertwining storylines fit together until the very end. The novel expands to explore Stevie’s relationships and growth, including her ongoing management of her anxiety disorder. The marvelously clever dialogue, abundance of heart, and witty, memorable, and well-rounded cast elevate this beyond standard mystery fare. Both timelines establish the New York City setting as its own character. Stevie and Blue read white. Entertaining, heartfelt, and suspenseful: a superb addition to a beloved series. (map) (Mystery. 14-18) 120

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I Shall Master This Family: Vol. 1 Kim, Roah | Illus. by Mon & ANT Studio Trans. by Ciel | Ink Pop/Random House Graphic (288 pp.) | $24.99 | October 13, 2026 9798217224241 | Series: I Shall Master This Family, 1

A translated graphic adaptation of a popular South Korean webnovel in which a Korean girl is reborn into a noble family in a European-­ inspired world. After dying in a car accident, a girl awakens as a baby named Firentia, with pale skin, green eyes, and light brown hair, one of the noble Lombardi family of the Lambrou Empire. Her father (a duke’s son) and her mother (a commoner) die when she’s young, leaving her a defenseless “bastard child” among cruel Lombardi relatives. Firentia assumes responsibility for running the household while the other Lombardis disgrace the family name. After dying in a carriage accident, Firentia reawakens as a 7-year-old. Remembering what happened last time, she plots to protect her family’s legacy— and perhaps even save her father from the illness that claimed his life when she was 10 (her mother died in childbirth). The detailed artwork features wealthy women wearing delicate gems and dresses with layered petticoats and intricate lace trim. In contrast to the commoners’ plain garments, the garb of the male nobility includes brocades and lace cravats. The artwork emphasizes adorable Firentia’s small frame and large sparkling eyes. Other panels show her uncanny maturation: In these, her face is in shadow and the low-to-the-ground perspective accentuates her intimidation of older cousins as she claims the Lombardi name for herself. There are hints of romance to come.

Legally Yours, Violet Lopez Luz, Elba | Simon & Schuster (272 pp.) | $19.99 October 20, 2026 | 9781665942546

Violet Lopez is on the case, reluctantly. High school junior Violet has a plan for getting to Harvard, becoming a lawyer, and helping her financially struggling widowed father. She was awarded the only scholarship that her elite private school gives out, and, as one of the top students in her grade, she’s able to participate in Bell-Haven’s Law Society. One of their activities is conducting mock trials for minor student infractions. Because Violet is undefeated, when Theo Hudson is accused of vandalism, he pleads with her to take his case—he’s desperate to stay on the basketball team and insists he’s innocent. But Violet isn’t interested in helping another privileged rich kid. Then Theo discovers a secret she’s determined to keep from her beloved dad, and he blackmails her into taking his case. Earlier, two classmates offered her $1,000—money she needs—to lose the case, so she secretly plans to get her revenge by sabotaging his defense. It’s a great plan, until she gets to know Theo and realizes he’s not what she thought. This is a fast-paced romance with a fun setup that fans of Legally Blonde will appreciate. Although the setting feels underdeveloped and some characters are one-dimensional, Violet’s growth is satisfying. Violet is Puerto Rican, and other main characters present white.

Clever twists and turns make this an entertaining opposites-attract romance. (Romance. 12-18) For another opposites-attract romance, visit Kirkus online.

Rich in lavish visuals with a fiery protagonist to root for. (Graphic fiction. 12-18)

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A spooky story of queer love, toxic family, and accepting others’ true selves. FANGS AND ALL

Pretty Evil McKendry, Rebekah & David Ian McKendry Illus. by Tim Seeley | McElderry (304 pp.) $26.99 | September 15, 2026 | 9781665927505 Series: Pretty Evil, 1

Days away from her 18th birthday, pink-haired pop star Mallori’s career is booming under the watchful eye of her controlling momager until a looming threat suddenly blows up her life. Mallori falls asleep one night, living her dream as a hitmaker with adoring fans. She wakes up the next morning to a nightmare, under a cloud of suspicion after her mother mysteriously disappears and the police find dead bodies in her basement. Convinced the cops can’t protect her and knowing they suspect her mother of murder, Mallori sets out onto the streets of Los Angeles to find her mother herself. Her investigation involves confrontations with demons who try to kill her, leading to the discovery of her mother’s secret life as a demon killer. Unstoppable Mallori vows to save her mother and protect humanity. Readers will love the zippy dialogue, wry narration, and violent, action-packed plot. The art is colorful and dynamic, although some scenes depict Mallori through what feels like a sexualized lens that evokes the male gaze. While reminiscent of the witty humor of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the action of KPop Demon Hunters, this story lacks the strong ensemble cast, memorable villains, and heart that distinguish these offerings. The ending sets up for sequels, and readers will hope that future entries delve deeper into Mallori’s character and more fully K IR KU S R E V IE W S

develop the secondary characters. Mallori and her mom have light brown skin. A solid addition to the genre: flashy, fun, and fast-paced. (Graphic paranormal. 14-18)

Meet Me on Mistletoe Lane Miller, Cassie | Viking (320 pp.) | $13.99 paper October 6, 2026 | 9798217320356

Mullings Creek is the quintessential small town, and Christmas is its time to shine. Gianna Mancini thought her biggest problems were being accepted into the Adventure Italy Academy—a studyabroad program for second semester of senior year—and figuring out how, if she got in, to say goodbye to her best friend (and crush), red-haired Sam. When Mr. Paxton, owner of The Market, the heart and soul of Mullings Creek Holly Days and the site of Gianna’s artist mom’s studio, is unexpectedly killed by a runaway piano, the town is thrown into turmoil. Gianna is simultaneously thrilled about connecting with her family’s Italian heritage and distraught that Mr. Bailey, the Scrooge-y big city lawyer handling Mr. Paxton’s affairs, has plans that spell doom for The Market— and her mom’s livelihood. But blond, blue-eyed James Bailey proposes a fake-dating scheme to Gianna, hoping her holiday spirit will bring his dad around, saving the lawyer’s sour mood and the town alike. And that’s how Gianna finds herself entangled in a love triangle. Miller builds anticipation with scenes of tingling touches and almost kisses, creating tension between Gianna

and the two charming, white-presenting boys that will leave readers uncertain who to root for. The chapters begin with epigraphs from classic holiday films, and atmospheric touches, like Mullings Creek’s Reindeer Games, Gingerbread House Contest, and Mistletoe Masquerade, will appeal to fans of Gilmore Girls and Hallmark movies. A cozy, swoony Christmas romance with lively small-town antics. (Romance. 12-18)

Fangs and All Mukanik, Tas | Putnam (256 pp.) $24.99 | $17.99 paper | October 6, 2026 9780593327081 | 9780593327104 paper

Meeting the parents goes horribly wrong when monsters meet their daughter’s human girlfriend. Boots Blackwood and her girlfriend, Sam, drive to the “middle of nowhere” for a two-day visit with Boots’ family. Even though Boots is nervous, Sam is relaxed and confident that she can win them all over. Boots’ mom, Vela, smiles and fusses over her daughter, but despite Sam’s turning up the charm, a frosty Vela is clearly displeased with her presence. The rest of the family isn’t much better, with some even commenting on how “ordinary” the increasingly uncomfortable Sam is. Although Boots spoke with her mother in advance about her expectations for the weekend, Vela invites more people than she promised and pressures her to drink from a glass containing a red liquid that Sam mistakes for wine. It isn’t long before Sam finds out the truth: After consuming the blood, Boots turns into a bat and reveals that she’s a vampire and her entire family are monsters. The leads’ chemistry is rendered through artwork that expresses their shifting moods. The Blackwoods’ home is drawn in elaborate detail, and the color palette, which is dominated by dark shades of purple, gray, and blue with pops of orange and red, enhances the >>> SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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IN THE NEWS The author was known for books including Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Benjamin Alire Sáenz, whose novels for adults and young readers explored Mexican American and gay identities, has died at 71, El Paso Matters reports. Sáenz, a New Mexico native, was educated at the St. Thomas Seminary in Denver and the University of Louvain in Belgium, later serving as a priest in El Paso, Texas, before leaving his order. He subsequently studied at the University of Texas at El Paso, the University of Iowa, and Stanford University.

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Benjamin Alire Sáenz

He made his publishing debut in 1991 with the poetry collection Calendar of Dust, and four years later he released his first novel, Carry Me Like Water. His other novels for adults include The House of Forgetting, In Perfect Light, and Names on a Map. In 2004, he published his first young adult novel, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood, and followed that up with several more, including Last Night I Sang to the Monster, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the

Universe, The Inexplicable Logic of My Life, and Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World. In 2008, Sáenz, then 54, came out as gay, and some of the books published after that explored sexuality, including Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, which won the Stonewall Book Award and the Pura Belpré Medal.—M.S. For a review of Aristotle and Dante, visit Kirkus online.

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Elisabet t a A . Villa/Get t y Images

Benjamin Alire Sáenz Dies at 71

B O O K L I S T // Y O U N G A D U LT

On the Road 1 5

1 Melt With You

2

By Jennifer Dugan

A charming summer romance.

6

2 Five Survive By Holly Jackson

Intervals of intense suspense and a well-crafted puzzle blend to create a thrill ride of a story.

3 At the End of the World By Nadia Mikail

A quietly reflective novel enveloped in hope.

4 Star Brother

By Maxine Rose Schur

A wild ride with plenty of heart.

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3

5 Stops Along the Way By Anna Sortino

A sweet story exploring sibling bonds, disability, and blossoming love.

6 Wayfarers

For more booklists, visit Kirkus online.

4

By Jeff Zentner & Brittany Cavallaro

Glows with the beauty of a long summer sunset.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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ominous atmosphere. Boots and Sam are light-skinned, and Boots’ father and sister have light brown skin. A touching and spooky story of queer love, toxic family, and accepting others’ true selves. (family tree, concepts and sketches) (Graphic paranormal. 13-18)

Akarnae Noni, Lynette | Astra Young Readers (448 pp.) | $15.99 paper | September 22, 2026 9781662621291 | Series: The Medoran Chronicles, 1

In this series opener, a 16-­ year-old from Oregon discovers an enchanting—and perilous—­world. When Alexandra Jennings’ parents need to head to an archaeological dig in Siberia, they send her off to a boarding school in Mount Hood National Forest. She’s already distressed about this change, and the school doesn’t make a great first impression—all the students look bored and unhappy. But soon after her arrival, Alex steps through the door to the headmaster’s office and into another world, where she meets a man named Aven, who informs Alex that she’s his “salvation” and that they’ll rule Medora together. Next, she encounters two boys, Jordan and Bear, who attend Akarnae Academy, a place for those with magical abilities. Alex learns that Medora is “kind of like a parallel Earth, but different.” Awaiting the return of the only person who can help her get home, Akarnae’s headmaster, who’s away traveling, Alex enrolls at the school. The delightful friendships she forms with Bear and Jordan enhance her action-packed

adventures. The mysterious Aven appears occasionally, adding to the intrigue around Alex’s purpose in Medora. The engaging characters and immersive worldbuilding, which evokes classic magical boarding school stories, make for an addictive read. While Medora’s advanced technology and the origins of the students’ gifts aren’t sufficiently explained, these elements don’t detract from the overall fun. Aven has bronze skin, and the other leads present white. A bingeworthy adventure that will leave readers eager for the sequel. (map) (Fantasy. 12-18)

Snowed In at the Wildest Dreams Bookshop Page, Gracie | Avon A/HarperCollins (256 pp.) | $12.99 paper | October 13, 2026 9780063479029 | Series: The Wildest Dreams Bookshop, 2

An English art student returns home for the holidays, hoping to rediscover her passion, in a stand-alone second series entry. Red-haired Ivy Pearson imagined something more glamorous than returning to quirky Fox Bay, her Cornish seaside hometown, so soon after leaving for Cornwall Art College. But after a difficult first few months—and in need of a job and somewhere to focus and redo her end-of-term project—Ivy is back in the place where she was known as an awkward loner. Her best friend, Raye, by contrast, has a new girlfriend and is enjoying studying textiles in Glasgow. Ivy plans to hide away, working at the Wildest Dreams Bookshop. But she’s surprised by

Twists, secrets, and a love triangle make the work intensely gripping. T O O U R U N TA M E D C O R E

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the swarms of tourists in town, including a cheerful, talkative American boy named Trip Wakefield, who’s renting rooms above the bookshop with his sister, Brooke. When Brooke asks Ivy to be their personal tour guide, it becomes the spark she needs to regain confidence in her art and herself. The well-paced narrative features likable characters (who are mostly cued white). Ivy has strengths and quirks that many readers will identify with, and her growth will likely inspire others to reconnect with their own interests in meaningful ways. Trip is well-rounded, and his portrayal highlights the importance of not judging a book by its cover. This grumpy/sunshine Christmas romance is both engaging and uplifting. Sympathetic characters demonstrate emotional growth and spread holiday cheer in this cozy romance. (Romance. 14-18)

The Secret Society of the Willbrook Witches Perron-Cormier, Camille | Second Story Press (80 pp.) | $21.95 paper | October 6, 2026 9781772604795 | Series: The Willbrook Witches, 1

A group of young, independent women band together in magical fellowship in this work from Canada translated from French by the author. Eighteen-year-old Andrea has just left home to start university, and her introverted nature makes it hard to make new friends. Then someone finds her—Elaine, the president of Rosemary and Toad, Willbrook’s secret society of witches. Elaine pegs Andrea as a witch (she has the right aura) even though Andrea had no idea her talent with growing plants signaled occult inclinations. Elaine and fellow society member Sybil show Andrea how they’ve been going around campus healing trees harmed by errant magic. The source of the problem seems to be another witch, one who also doesn’t understand her powers. Can they find the unwitting culprit before K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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the situation gets worse? This series opener focuses on setting up the witch society, keeping the stakes low for now. Readers follow Andrea’s perspective as someone new to the setting and circumstances, but the text sometimes skims over moments of realization and pivotal change, and readers may feel like they’re trying to catch up with the story. The illustrations are bold in their layout and linework, monochromatic apart from touches of color that represent different manifestations of magic. Andrea is biracial, with a Black-presenting mother and a father who appears white; there’s racial diversity among the society members. A light, witchy fantasy populated by some cool characters. (character guide) (Graphic fantasy. 14-18)

Star Wars: Eyes Like Stars Poston, Ashley | Star Wars/Random House (400 pp.) | $13.99 paper | July 21, 2026 9780736448581

Eighteen-year-old Ardent Quay’s carefully charted life careens off course when she collides (literally) with a handsome Wild Spacer on the run. Before her mom disappeared, Ardent dreamed of exploring the galaxy, but now she can’t bear the thought of leaving her protective father or the safety of the Starfarer. One day she’ll take over their commercial tour company—she’s the only one left who can. Ardent’s trajectory changes when a chance encounter with the First Order sends her running for her life alongside the roguish and charming Sian, who’s in possession of a Jedi relic. Ardent takes a risk and smuggles him aboard the Starfarer, but Sian isn’t the only unexpected passenger. After abandoning the family three years ago, Ardent’s older brother, Val, has returned, but he isn’t telling the whole truth about why he’s home. Set during the time of the early rise of the First Order, this romance begins with a burst of action, but the pacing stalls through the setup and gradual K IR KU S R E V IE W S

building of tension before the conflict resumes. The romance is slow to heat up beyond a flirtatious simmer. Sian has an ability to hypnotize others to which Ardent is immune, and his past is an enticing mystery that’s only partially explored. The open resolution offers potential for future installments. The cast includes casual background representation of queer relationships. Human characters primarily read white. An intriguing but unevenly paced adventure. (Romance. 14-18)

To Our Untamed Core Reyes, Sonido | Versify/HarperCollins (432 pp.) | $19.99 | September 22, 2026 9780063358447

A dystopian bloodbath made queer. In a story “inspired by real colonial events and dynamics,” three young people stand together against an unjust monarchy. The white conquistadores imposed their religion on the people of the Afueras 601 years ago. To “tame” their supposedly innately violent natures, the Afuereños must always take the Eucharist. Anyone who misses it and becomes “untamed” is forced to compete in a fight to the death called El Torneo. As Temo’s 18th birthday approaches, he awaits the send-off ceremony where you’re given your life’s purpose. Most Afuereños have been infertile since the conquistadores brought plagues. Temo, who’s long known he’s a boy and has lived as one, is hiding a secret—he has “child-bearing parts.” When the ceremony’s fertility test reveals his dishonesty, he’ll surely end up in El Torneo. Then, shortly before the ceremony and tournament, Temo, his boyfriend, Ollin, and his ex–best friend, Socoyote, participate in a rebellious act while attending Mass that may land them all in El Torneo. Twists, secrets, unflinching gore, and a passionate love triangle make the work intensely gripping. The novel incorporates classic genre elements, adding freshness and originality through

its depictions of complex queer relationships, rebellion against colonialism, and a critique of religious indoctrination. Love and violence flow through every page of this riveting work. (author’s note, content note) (Dystopian. 14-18)

Fuzzballs Super Cute Collection of Ridiculous Adventures Sach, Marc | words & pictures (224 pp.) $12.99 | October 6, 2026 | 9781836007890

An exercise in comic cuteness tries a little bit of everything. After a brief primer on the webcomic origins of Sach’s Fuzzballs, this variety show of a book launches into a sequence of profiles of its adorable round creatures. Starting with Whisky the cat, each chapter includes a profile on a specific Fuzzball character, drawing instructions, recipes, a short story, and lighthearted comics and gags. The chapters follow themes, including pizza, gaming, the seasons, life goals, cats, and making comics. With the characters’ bold outlines, bright colors, and decal-ready cuteness, each page of smiling, snacking, layabout character art feels like it should double as a sticker sheet. Sach’s kawaii menagerie would fit in well with Rilakkuma or the anthropomorphic foodstuffs of Sumikko Gurashi. The Fuzzballs’ essentials are listed as “comfortable places to sit,” “plenty of snacks,” and “fun things to do with their friends,” and that succinctly sums up the mood of this book. Each animal has a couple of personality traits and visual features distinct from the others, but otherwise they’re avatars of whatever good-natured slothful, gluttonous, or playful activity readers wish to indulge. This work has equal appeal for striving readers and those who are simply drawn to its aesthetic. A gallery of cute comics and cozy vibes begging to adorn geeky vision boards and lockers everywhere. (Graphic fiction. 12-18) SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Dreamweaving Sangoyomi, O.O. | Page Street (400 pp.) $22.99 | October 13, 2026 | 9798890034465

Five New England boarding school juniors are drawn into investigating an unsettling mystery after witnessing a celestial pheno­ menon in this duology opener. Deja Freeman is a reluctant transfer student at Tanglewood Preparatory School—one with a temper and preternatural abilities. Nevertheless, she makes an unexpected friend in socially anxious computer whiz Eden Lovejoy, another Black girl from Louisiana. Hoping to finally earn her Nigerian parents’ praise, ambitious overachiever Olúwatóbi “Tóbi” Ẹkúndayọ̀ is set on her fifth class presidency. Unluckily, her longtime academic rival, Monte Montalvo, who’s white, catches her breaking the rules and blackmails her into dropping out of the race. A lost and dejected Tóbi finds an unlikely friend in flighty, rule-flouting Fabien Clarke-­ Reynolds, “the biracial love child of the British royal family,” who awkwardly comforts her. After they find a golden, glowing meteorite in the woods, the five must solve the mystery revealed by their persistent psychic dreams. Despite this intriguing premise, Sangoyomi’s debut is light in both mystery and the supernatural yet simultaneously overstuffed with underexplored strands, including racial discrimination, classism, drug use, and familial conflict. Fortunately, the strong characterization and relationship development counterbalance this. In particular, Tóbi’s quest for parental acknowledgement is relatable to anyone who’s ever chronically overachieved to meet impossible standards, and Deja’s journey to find relationships worth nurturing is heartwarming. Overall, the three-dimensional, realistically flawed characters display gratifying growth, and their interactions are entertaining. A broad but shallow story redeemed by strong characterization. (Mystery. 13-18)

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Three-dimensional characters display gratifying growth. DRE AMWE AVING

Get a Grip Shelton, Alyson | West 44 Books (200 pp.) $16.35 paper | October 1, 2026 9781978598553

It’s the summer of 1984, and a 15year-­old Southern California girl idolizes gymnast Mary Lou Retton and dreams of the Olympics, but her world shatters when tragedy strikes. Kelly joins a new gym run by the Olympic coach, but she’s unsure of herself in the shadow of her “bubbly, / beautiful, confident” best friend, Jenny. Through Jenny, she meets Brandon, a cute boy she believes she doesn’t have a chance with since she’s “‘stocky.’ / And sad.” Kelly is devastated over the recent death of her beloved half brother, Michael, while he was camping with Todd, her other half brother. Her household is filled with tension— unkind Todd seems to resent it when Kelly’s grief spills over: “Todd is handsome and / charming. // To other people.” In short lines of unadorned free verse, Kelly speaks about her feelings (including guilt over experiencing happy moments when Michael’s life is over), the gym where she trains, a new gymnastics friend, family dynamics, and her growing involvement with Brandon. Shelton carefully portrays the tough world of competitive sports that Kelly wants to enter. Her fragile emotional state coupled with her drive to get onto the competition team supply this verse novel for striving readers with enough interest to For another sports-themed verse novel for striving readers, visit Kirkus online.

keep the pages turning. Characters largely present white.

Explores topics of interest to teens in accessible language. (Verse novel. 12-16)

Being Amani Steele, Annabelle | Carolrhoda Lab (200 pp.) $18.99 | October 6, 2026 | 9798348041694

In this novella, a 16-year-old Black British girl attempts to cope with the fallout of leaving an unstable living situation. After escaping a fear-filled home life with her controlling, abusive father who drinks too much, Amani and her mother move in with her Jamaican grandfather in Manchester. Amani presents a wellcrafted façade to the outside world—even to her closest school friends, Leo and Sanaa. She and Grandad are concerned that her mother might be hiding her struggles as well. After more than a year, Amani’s world becomes destabilized with her father’s reappearance in her life. Walking in the door to find him sitting at the kitchen table makes her feel “uneasy and nauseous.” Her struggles are made worse because, having not confided in her friends about her old life, it’s hard to know how to begin to tell them about this latest development. Amani’s present-day story is interspersed with flashback chapters entitled “Life With Dad,” and the novel overall feels disjointed. Unfortunately, her father is a static character with a storyline involving anger management treatment and counseling that happens off page; his behavioral changes and reconciliation with his daughter feel implausible given how extreme things were. Amani deals with panic attacks, and her coping mechanisms are covered in passing. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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Readers will find her romantic storyline believable and engaging.

Tackles the psychological impact of traumatic experiences with insufficient depth. (content note, resources, discussion questions) (Fiction. 14-18)

The Age of Fury Stephens, John | Knopf (480 pp.) | $20.99 October 20, 2026 | 9780593900178

Seventeen-­yearold Caitlin Quinn travels from her small village in Ireland to New York City in 1907 and tries to uncover the truth behind her twin sister’s murder. A letter from Caitlin’s sister, Mary, reveals that she fled to America for love but now has regrets and fears for her life. She begs Caitlin to come to her. Upon her arrival, Caitlin is shocked to learn that Mary has been murdered. The police, who are entangled with local gangsters, offer few answers, and Caitlin decides to solve the crime herself. Nineteen-year-old William Furey is close to Irish gang leader Frank Shannon, who’s seizing control of the city; William’s fearsome reputation has earned him the nickname Cu’ Chulainn, after the legendary Irish warrior. When Frank hears rumors of interest in the Irish girl who was murdered in his territory, he sends William to investigate. Drawn together by Mary’s death, William and Caitlin cross paths, embarking on a dangerous search for the truth—developing feelings for each other along the way. Stephens examines the lasting impact of the potato famine on those who stayed in Ireland as well as those who left. Rich descriptions expose complex class systems on both sides of the Atlantic as rapid industrial change enriched a select few while many immigrants remained trapped in poverty. Through alternating first-person chapters, Caitlin and William grapple with identity and truth, deepening their character development. Unexpected twists blended with an insightful examination of the consequences of unchecked power. (Historical mystery. 14-18) K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Slayer

Threads of Red

Stone, Leia | Bloom Books (320 pp.) | $15.99 paper | September 8, 2026 | 9781464275647 Series: Slayer, 1

Wright, Julie | Shadow Mountain (272 pp.) $19.99 | October 6, 2026 | 9781639935611

A new vampire slayer has come to town. Stella Adams is now 18, which means she’s aged out of Washington state’s foster care system. Abandoned as a newborn, the resourceful young woman has a plan: continue working at the local library, attend community college, and become an ultrasound technician. But then vampires descend on her birthday celebrations and attack her friends. After being saved by handsome green-eyed, honey blond– haired Asher Voss, Stella discovers her familial history: She’s a vampire hunter and a legacy, or a descendant of one of the founders of Veil Haven. Transported via a portal to Veil Haven, where the hunters live, Stella enters Nightguard Academy and begins her studies even as secrets emerge and her feelings for Asher grow. But the white-presenting pair’s past traumas complicate their feelings as they try to surmount obstacles. Stone’s actionpacked series opener races along, entertaining readers as Stella adjusts to the surprising revelations about her identity and the intricacies of the vampire hunter world. The tension between Asher and Stella will appeal to romance fans, and the quick pace will keep pages turning and readers rooting for Stella, an appealing hero who faces mounting emotional upheaval and physical danger. An abrupt ending with loose ends leaves things open for the sequel. An entertaining, action-packed paranormal tale, angsty romance included. (Paranormal. 14-18)

In the kingdom of Corvane, marriages are decided by contracts that can be chosen by parents for their children. Loreda “Red” Grimshaw and her younger sister, Kristell, are unlucky. Their abusive mother has promised beautiful Kristell to Jonas, a cruel (but wealthy) man—and Red to Nathaniel, Kristell’s true love. Kristell runs away to Grandmother’s house to escape this fate, but along the way, she contracts the deadly sleeping sickness. Determined to save her life, Red sets off for Grandmother’s, guided by the exiled old woman’s blood-red magic cape. Grandmother is a conjurer, someone who does magic and is feared as evil. Red is joined by the boy she loves, Carrigan Woods, a member of the elite Wolf Guard, and her nemesis, spoiled golden-­ haired Goldi Martin, who has her sights set on Carrigan. As they make their way through the woods, Red uncovers the power and danger of her magical ancestry. This mashup of “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” and “Sleeping Beauty” contains some intriguing aspects, such as the cape’s telepathic powers of communication. But the worldbuilding is thin; Corvane feels like a generic European-influenced fantasy world. The love triangle between Red, Goldi, and Carrigan is undercooked: Carrigan and Red’s connection is never in question, which undercuts the tension. Red’s prickly rivals-to-friends bond with Goldi is the story’s strongest element. The cast members are largely cued white. Carrigan has “gold-toned” skin. An uneven fairy-tale-inspired fantasy adventure. (discussion questions) (Fantasy. 14-18)

An entertaining paranormal tale. S L AY E R

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ARTHUR SMITH

SOME RECENT INDIE titles have gone to the dogs—and that’s a good thing. There are few more direct routes to a reader’s heart than a well-observed dog story, and the following examples— which range from science fiction thrills to fantastical whimsy to naturalistic sentiment—goose the formula by putting the canines’ points of view front and center (keep a handkerchief handy). For anyone who has gazed lovingly into the eyes of a furry companion and wondered just what was going on behind them, these books offer some intriguing possibilities. In Bone of Contention, the final installment of Jan S. Gephart’s SF trilogy, genetically modified dogs with telepathic capabilities work alongside humans to police a deep-space station called Rana. The canine cops are outfitted with special collars that allow them to talk, and they are recognized by the Ranans as sentient beings—they’re people. Gephart’s worldbuilding makes for an immersive reading experience, and the narrative includes exciting action scenes, but the novel is truly distinguished by the 128

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characterizations of the leads, Rex and Shady, a very good boy and girl indeed. Rex credibly evolves from a law enforcement operative to a political figure beset by insecurities about his responsibilities, while the pragmatic Shady exudes empathy. Our reviewer notes that “reflective interludes” in which the dogs process drama “add emotional weight” and praises the author’s “careful attention to character perspectives.” Timothy Brushett’s YA fantasy novel Crusoe and the Stone Gardener follows the adventures of the titular pooch as he navigates magical phen­ omena in a Nova Scotian public park. An ancient evil called Thaur Halda has been corrupting Crusoe’s stomping grounds of Dartmouth Commons. A young elf named Elena befriends the dog, learns

his tragic history (Crusoe lost two human companions and is wary of forming new connections), and enlists him to protect a new gardener working to free the Commons from the influence of Thaur Halda. Brushett has created a compellingly detailed mythology for the elves and the park; our reviewer calls it a “beautiful and well-written” story, touting the novel’s “lush details invoking all of the senses” while asserting that readers will find “Crusoe an easy protagonist to root for as he learns about himself and finds his way to a loving family.” Forever Ripley, a middle-­ grade novel by McCall Hoyle, is in the tradition of such heart-wrenching fare as John Grogan’s Marley and Me. In Hoyle’s story, Ripley, a retired Wildlife Law Enforcement dog, lives to

support her human family: a young girl named Charlie and Charlie’s mother, Amelia, whose husband (Charlie’s father) died five years before the events of the novel. When it becomes clear that Ripley, who suffers from osteosarcoma, will soon die herself, Charlie and Amelia endeavor to make her final days joyful even as the dog, ever the faithful protector, rallies to shield her humans from dangerous poachers. The story is told from Ripley’s perspective and cannily centers her sensory impressions, as when she registers the “nervous chemicals [that] tint [Charlie’s] breath.” Our reviewer calls the book “passionate and tender,” extolling the narrative as an “affecting emotional roller coaster.” Arthur Smith is an Indie editor. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Illustration by Eric Scot t Ander son

DOG TALES

INDIE

EDITOR’S PICK A playbook for parents teaching their kids to thrive in a world of AI. Children in this moment in the 21st century, warns Moody, will grow up in a world their parents won’t recognize or anticipate; “the tools they will use every day may not have been invented.” The questions weighing on the minds of many parents are very straightforward: Am I preparing my child for the right things? Is that even possible? The typical quick-fix answer is “start early, spend money, or your child falls behind.” This book is intended to offer a different kind of answer— the author points out that while new technologies come and go in constant waves of innovation, the right mindset for learning

These Titles Earned the Kirkus Star

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any new tech stays the same. Moody asserts that parents should observe closely, ask sharp questions, and “stay clear-­ headed when feelings run high.” The author, a data scientist and parent, outlines some strategies to build these skills in the specific context of dealing with AI. She explains the basics of what AI is, identifies some of the ways in which it’s infiltrated everyday life, and proposes approaches for young people to use it to their advantage without blunting their own excellence in the process. AI is governed by prompts, and Moody writes that “children who grow up asking precise, layered, follow-up questions will be able to use AI tools at a fundamentally

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Native Species By Michael Albergo

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Civil By Jeanne Gransee Barker

Which Way to Smart?: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Thinkers in an AI-Driven World Moody, C.T. | Playhouse STEM | 133 pp. $22.99 | May 30, 2026 | 9798996410828

higher level than children who do not.” The specific exercises she suggests perfectly reflect the book’s atmosphere of practical optimism—the author assiduously avoids any hint of doomsaying, a distinctive take regarding a technology that’s spawned a plethora of books warning of the inevitable

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King’s County Tales By Hannah Gilham; illus. by Khristian Gilham

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AI takeover. “The children who grow up creating with AI will define the AI era,” she asserts. “The children who grow up consuming it will be defined by it.” This kind of cleareyed thinking about AI is very welcome. An intelligent and upbeat guide to helping young people master AI and to avoid being mastered by it.

The Brave Fuzzy By Eliana Miao with Pen & Pipette; illus. by Johanna Gousset

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Kirkus Star

Native Species: A Tale of Two Civilizations in 1928 Los Angeles Albergo, Michael | Electric Torch Press (284 pp.) | $19.99 paper | March 3, 2026 9798993852706

Shape-shifting lizards attempt to take over California in Albergo’s colorful SF adventure. Hiding from dinosaurs and then humans, sentient reptilians—think big serpents with fangs and legs, or maybe giant talking Gila monsters—have hunkered down in a belowground colony near Los Angeles for eons. They’re hoping for a comeback, emboldened by their ability to swallow a live, whole human and change their form into that person’s fully human body, complete with their memories and speech patterns. Deploying this trick is Sesh, a high-ranking serpent who transforms into shipping magnate Sam Smith, and Shila Ghiss, a female serpent scientist who discovers a way to nonlethally transform into anthropologist Susan River by drinking a blood sample. They emerge into LA in 1928 to carry out a plan to surreptitiously dose civic leaders, police, and the public with a drug that makes humans obey serpent commands. Complicating things are engineering professor Horace Jennings and geologist Helen Parker, who have hired private eye Harry Raymond to help them locate Helen’s missing geologist boyfriend, Mateo Martinez. Horace and Helen bump into Shila/Susan at a serpent-­ controlled speakeasy where the drug is slipped into customers’ drinks; Shila, now influenced by Susan’s consciousness and opposed to Sesh’s plan, protects Horace from an attack by Sesh. Horace and Shila/Susan fall in love, and she helps him and Helen piece together the serpentine scheme and locate Mateo. Unfortunately, a thoroughly dosed Mateo has joined Sesh/Sam in hatching another plot, this one to start an earthquake by summoning giant worms from the Earth’s molten 130

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interior to the San Andreas fault. Can Horace, Helen, Harry, and Shila/Susan head off the seismic catastrophe? And will Horace still love Susan when he learns of her reptilian identity? Albergo’s yarn features an intriguing remix of classic SF tropes, with motifs from Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Dune (1965), and a dash of H. P. Lovecraft without the dudgeon, all given a fun, atmospheric spin as a lightly noirish LA mystery. (“This is Los Angeles,” grumbles the hardboiled Harry. “There are hucksters, whores, and gangsters here who would just as soon kill you as look at you.”) The author provides an arresting view of human nature through alien eyes, and the riveting action scenes move adroitly from evocative suspense to grisly horror: “Where the tentacles met, a mouth rose; and behind the mouth rose a titanic, muscular, slime-covered worm…. One [tentacle] wrapped about his neck, two about his waist. They flexed, and in an instant, they pulled off his head and ripped his body in half.” Albergo also writes in an entrancing lyrical vein in which otherness brings wonder instead of terror: “Through the human’s remarkable eyes, I can see the sandy floor of a canyon and a rushing river, green plants at its banks,” notes Shila on her first visit to Earth’s surface. “Above us is an endless ocean of blue light…for an instant I feel as if I will fall up, forever.” The result is a page-turner that both frightens and dazzles with its portrayal of cross-species encounters. An entertaining SF thriller, elegantly written and imaginatively conceived.

Calder’s Last Gasp Alex, Kirk | Tucumcari Press (206 pp.) | $12 paper | January 31, 2026 | 9798989659289

A mischievous and possibly evil pet bird takes over a man’s life and leads him into a criminal underworld in Alex’s novel. A 47-year-old shipping clerk in a warehouse, Tucson resident and Vietnam War veteran

Calder is single and living an ordinary but lonely life. At a pet shop, he’s offered a free lovebird that someone has just brought in. Lovebirds are a type of parrot—beyond that, Calder doesn’t know what to expect. The shopkeeper clips the bird’s wings, and Calder takes him home. Soon, Calder learns that the bird is prone to wreaking havoc—the food and water dishes are turned over, the mirror is pockmarked, and he shreds any paper he can find into strips. Calder tries to relate to and reason with the bird, to no avail: “how were you going to explain anything to the green parrot with a chip on its shoulder the size of a Buick?” After suffering more complications, Calder reluctantly takes the lovebird, now named Tyson, back to the store. Soon regretting his decision, he attempts to get it back, but the bird is now owned by a local family who is suffering the same problems and feeling the same conflicted emotions. Through a young woman named Jocelyn, Calder is drawn into both the family’s drama and the criminal underworld as he tries to figure out the bizarre connections they have to this obstreperous lovebird. Alex’s concise narrative has a simple but absurdly inviting premise and delivers quite a punch in its own unique way. The downsides of owning a parrot can be horrifying, but Alex takes them to new depths with a bird that creates new wings after its own have been clipped, and the author intriguingly explores the idea that people may bond with such a difficult creature because in some way they like the abuse. Calder, a blue-collar Everyman, is a relatable lead, and Jocelyn’s connections to the drug world reveal a dark side that belies Tucson’s sunny image.

A short, sharp tale about a wicked bird and the warring parties that seem to need him.

For more Indie content, visit Kirkus online.

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INDIE

Poetry in the Garden: An Anthology of California Women Poets Ed. by Bachar, Jacqueline Miller International Forum (126 pp.) $19.99 | May 26, 1996 | 9781886934078

In this anthology edited by Bachar, female poets from California bring together garden-­ inspired poetry with a flourish. The garden is a prime place for poetic inspiration. This nature-based theme has inspired poems with vivid and memorable language from each author. In Sherman’s “Just Being Neighborly,” vines around a gazebo are compared to “an Impressionist painter at work.” In O’Melveny’s “Tassajara,” small details are sharply defamiliarized with the alliterative “skunk musk in the meadow, / musty oak humus, fresh coyote scat, / dry hot earth under my fingernails.” The garden represents different things to the 48 poets featured in the collection. It’s a romantic interest in Norton’s “An Unseen Admirer”: “Every leaf and petal gently fondled, / None ignored / Each felt adored.” In Dugger’s “Terpsichorean Trees,” the poet positions the garden as a place of refuge from the male gaze. The garden lends itself to self-realization in Neiman’s “I Am a Leaf,” and it represents religion in Welch’s “Caretaker.” In vanDewark’s “My Eucalyptus,” the garden is a metaphor for erotic discovery. Taken together, the poems illustrate that gardens are dynamic places that are ripe for evocative poetry. The anthology’s visual component is also notable. Illustrations from 19th- and early-­20th-century books, newspapers, and other ephemera are spread throughout the collection. Reminiscent of the works of Gustav Klimt with a fairy-tale twist, they enhance the storytelling of the poems. Although each poet has her own voice and style, their works fit together well. Threaded throughout the collection is a powerful sense of place, despite the different poets’ perspectives. After all, as Schaefer concludes in “My Home,” K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Everything lovers of the fantasy genre could want. A R E C KO N I N G O F S TA R S

“There is no happier place to be / Than at my home with my / cats and trees.” This is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys gardens and poetry. A varied but cohesive anthology of garden poetry.

Kirkus Star

Civil: True North Barker, Jeanne Gransee | Dark Bird Press (320 pp.) | $30.99 | June 26, 2026 9798995713821

This first installment of Barker’s series chronicles the lives of several people in and around near-future Seattle, all caught up in the violent chaos of America’s second civil war. Rachel Waterman—aka “the Raven”—­ was an operative for the Western Coalition (a group of states that want to secede) when she was captured by U.S. forces and sent to a detention facility, where she was subject to horrific abuse before she found a way to escape. Now she’s wanted as a war criminal and has a near-mythical reputation as a killer. U.S. Marine Chet Miller, whose friend Rachel killed during her escape, is filled with rage and volunteers to head a mission to track down and execute her—but with a possible ceasefire looming, he only has a few days to finish the job. Meanwhile, Rachel hides out at a remote Western Coalition outpost called Camp FUBAR, which is ingeniously rebuilding a democratic society, one broken soul at a time. Barker’s provocative work is as thematically powerful—and as gruesome—­as such war-fiction classics as

Jerzy Kosiński’s novel The Painted Bird (1965) and Tim O’Brien’s story collection The Things They Carried (1990), and some readers may find some images unforgettable: “It’s a burnt Jackson Pollock painting of limbs and bricks and blood. Blackened shreds of the flyers are floating down like a twisted snowfall. The white powdery air is suffocating. The smell of singed paper and charred flesh is too much.” The brutal feeling of authenticity, the all-too-believable premise of a second civil war premise, and the intricate plot are all exceptional elements, but it’s the depth and beauty of Barker’s writing that makes Rachel’s and Chet’s storylines so compelling. For example, when the trauma-scarred Rachel enters a store in FUBAR that refurbishes old clothes, she describes it in a way that could apply not only to her community, but also to an American ideal: “This place—a lot of ill-fitting pieces from many different garments—somehow makes a beautiful patchwork quilt. And I am one of those pieces.” An intense and deeply insightful exploration of the consequences of armed conflict.

A Reckoning of Stars Barkley, Allyson S. | Atmosphere Press (932 pp.) $34.99 paper | January 1, 2026 | 9798901744130 Series: Until The Stars Are Dead, 3

In Barkley’s fantasy novel, a princess struggles to accept her royal identity as threats new and old endanger her people and her allies. In this third and final installment of the author’s Until the Stars Are Dead SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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series, Ari’s story continues after her abrupt departure from the Third Army. Haunted by loss, the former princessturned-thief is living a solitary life in the Belem Mountains with only her bobcat, Jagger, and unicorn, Zeifira, for company. The Third Army is stationed outside the Capital, waiting for the Malavi to surrender. While Lieutenant Dinar Novian believes victory will be assured if Ari returns, she’s hesitant to do so, believing that the soldiers are safer without her. But after a visit from her lover, fellow soldier Ely, Ari decides to rejoin the army and helps them take the city. Still, her struggles are far from over: Ari is uncomfortable with the expectation that she’ll now be a ruler and troubled by rumblings within the Earth, attacks against a magical sect known as the mahian call her leadership and government into question, and Icario, a menacing figure from Ari’s past, is sending threatening letters demanding payment for her debts. Ari and her allies are joined by a mysterious sorceress named Mordez, but suspicions mount as evidence begins to suggest that she may be far more powerful and dangerous than she claims. Though the pacing sometimes feels slow, Barkley’s novel has everything lovers of the fantasy genre could want: magic, romance, action, immersive worldbuilding, and masterfully crafted characters. The prose is vivid, making Ari and her world come alive: “Her whole body was a mask. A shield. A wall.…She felt the strain of holding herself inside her skin like it was a physical effort. She wondered if she would get better at pretending that she could breathe.” Fans of the first two books will not be disappointed. A satisfying conclusion to an exciting fantasy series.

Nothing Is Wasted: A Spiritual Journey From Fear and Judgment to Grace and Mystery Benson, Marilyn J. | Beaver’s Pond Press (272 pp.) | $19.95 paper | November 25, 2025 9781643435060

A precocious young woman rejects the fundamentalism of her youth and embraces mystery in Benson’s memoir. Born in 1940, Marilyn is raised in a conservative Baptist church where the fear of God is instilled in her from a young age. Over time, she comes to appreciate the years she spent on her family’s idyllic farm among the chickens, bluestem grass, and the “small, hard crab apples.” But early on, she rejects the community’s belief in a literal reading of the Bible and is eager to leave home and pursue her own education. While attending Bethel College, an evangelical college in St. Paul, she meets and marries B., an attractive senior. However, the marriage suffers because of his indifference; on their wedding night, he makes clear that he regrets marrying her, leaving her in tears. B. trains with the Volunteers in Service to America Program (VISTA), and the two end up spending a year in the remote Alaskan village of Lower Kalskag, where Marilyn works at a school for Indigenous children. After the birth of their daughter, Maja, the family relocates to San Francisco, where, like many struggling couples, they take on a project (a three-story Victorian in this case) in an effort to save their troubled marriage. After the divorce, Marilyn

A powerful articulation of the progressive Christian mindset. NOTHING IS WASTED

finally discovers her agency and vocation. She meets Katharine Whiteside Taylor, a teacher and therapist, who introduces her to Carl Jung and Quaker services. She reads books by Richard Rohr, Joseph Campbell, and Thomas Merton, and she begins to rethink her theology and sense of self. Over tea, Katharine suggests Marilyn consider entering seminary, which Marilyn, still in the process of surrendering her patriarchal assumptions, has never considered. The conversation will alter the course of her life. Drawing on decades of experience as a literature enthusiast and pastoral counselor, Benson invites readers to embrace a more humane faith. Having spent much of her life seeking to recover “a Christianity that does not make Christ the last name of Jesus,” she uses fiction and poetry to assert that the miracles of the Bible should be seen not as factual accounts but as myths: stories that speak foundational truths about the nature of reality and the nature of God. She affirms the existence of a Creator about whom little can be known, but who is revealed to us through the world’s faiths and through creation itself, which she esteems an impossibly lovely gift. Jesus, she writes, showed us how to live ethically by demon­ strating compassion and justice toward others; he “called us to follow him, not to worship him.” This is a powerful articulation of the progressive Christian mindset, one that should find purchase with people of all faith traditions. Like Madeleine L’Engle and Eugene Peterson, Benson employs her formidable storytelling skills not to lecture but to convey the wisdom of a lifetime via scene and symbolism. The house on stilts in which she and B. live during their year in rural Alaska becomes an elegant metaphor for their rickety marriage. As the marriage implodes, she juxtaposes their growing discord with the violence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The result is a plea for tolerance and mystery that reads like a novel, and is all the more effective for it. An often beautiful reevaluation of religion from a lifelong lover of literature.

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The Secrets We Keep: Hidden Histories of the Byzantine Empire Betancourt, Roland | Getty Publications (96 pp.) | $20 paper | September 10, 2026 9781606069080

An examination of medieval secrets becomes a meditation on information and power in Betancourt’s novel. “Some secrets protect imperial power, some secrets protect the people oppressed under said power.” Beginning with the Byzantine scholar Procopius’s The Secret History, an early-medieval text that promised to reveal the sordid secrets of the Byzantine emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora, Betancourt ponders the role of secrecy in past eras and its continuing appeal in the present. He explores the Mandylion, a textile concealed within a reliquary box, on which the face of Christ was allegedly imprinted; the Limburg Staurotheke, an elaborate box containing fragments of the True Cross and intended to be used on the field of battle; the marvelous automatons housed in the Great Palace of Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos; and the “illustrious secret weapon” known as Greek fire, which the Byzantines deployed against enemy ships in war and that made them masters of the sea. The uses of these mysterious objects and the secrecy that surrounded them reveal a great deal about stratagems of imperial power: Greek fire, for example, was “transmitted and preserved through closely knit networks of secrecy,” allowing the empire to retain a monopoly on its use for centuries. Betancourt, a self-described “queer scholar of color,” beautifully captures the exotic allure of Byzantium and the knowingly deployed mechanisms that make the medieval empire a continuing source of fascination, while also drawing apt analogies for more recent events such as the war in Ukraine. He shares stories of monks born as women who might today be identified as transgender, writing movingly of their K IR KU S R E V IE W S

acceptance by their communities and demonstrating that trans people have not always been maligned, even in an era now often perceived as regressive. Conspiracy theories like QAnon, he writes, are “exercises in how a populace imagines the secret things of imperial power,” presenting their adherents with a “radical” sense of “future possibility.” The allure and intrigue of Byzantium come alive in this accessible work of scholarship.

The Gyre Carlson, Stacy | Alternating Current Press (272 pp.) | $29.99 | May 19, 2026 9781946580658

Carlson’s historical novel offers an ethereal journey through faith, wilderness, and the human spirit in 19th-century Eastern Europe. In 1860, a young Russian Orthodox monk named Arkad Afanasyev embarks on a perilous trek from the safety and asceticism of his mainland monastery to study under the mysterious and ascetic Father Vasily on the island of Spitsbergen. He must embark on the dangerous voyage with the pagan Pomors, who make regular trips to the snowbound island to hunt seals and bears for pelts and whale for blubber. The Pomors loosely believe in the church’s teachings but tell many tales of the spirits and guardian animals who protect the balance of the island and harshly punish those who disturb it. Arkady is initially disgusted by the men, whose lifestyles and values are so different from his own, but being in such a harsh place in close proximity to others is bound to inspire empathy. The monk reluctantly learns to live with these rough and raucous men, who are as likely to embrace one another as they are to get into fights. Along the way, Arkady is beset by dangers—including cold, starvation, and bears—and begins to feel God more deeply in his heart: “If this should be my end, so be it….In good faith, I came

here. You would not still my heart so soon…you wouldn’t. I must reach my teacher, Father Vasily.” Carlson has crafted a novel that perfectly captures both the romanticism and inescapable pull of the past, as well as the setting’s incalculable strangeness to modern readers. The island of Spitsbergen is both alien and enchanting, and Carlson’s characters are beautifully rendered, drawing readers in as they seek to know them more deeply. The author effectively shows how his protagonist learns as much from his surroundings as he does from his teacher, and how the worlds of Christianity and paganism whirl through the young monk’s soul. A thoughtful tale that rings with the harsh beauty of a howling wind.

Maybelline Has a Very. Bad. Day. Dolan, Dawn | Illus. by Olena Kharkovenko Barn Antics Books (32 pp.) | $10.99 paper May 18, 2026 | 9798994352809

A young goat tries to make it through another day on the farm in Dolan’s picture book. Maybelline, a young goat on a small farm, misses her morning brushing because her friend is sick. This small setback sets the tone for the rest of her day: She irritates Aunt Ivy and earns a bonk on the head, pricks her lip on a bramble, and gets stuck in a fence. A spilled bucket of acorns, a visit from the vet, and a nip from Mina the herding dog round out Maybelline’s terrible day. But when bedtime comes, Maybelline snuggles down, dreaming of the fun she’ll have tomorrow. Dolan’s picture book will surely grab the attention of young readers with her vividly drawn idyllic farm, The Finca. Kharkovenko’s full-page illustrations are evocative, with the characterizations of the goats endearing and expressive enough that readers of all ages will enjoy them. Her vibrant, colorful artwork helps tell the story beautifully. Pre-­ readers can easily follow Maybelline’s bad-day adventure through the SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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enchanting images alone. Dolan’s fast-paced storytelling is fun, and the humorous mishaps will delight young children. Her informal writing style may not suit everyone, but for most it will fit perfectly with the rural charm of the story. As part of the Maybelline series, this book will leave new readers excited to explore the other books. Evocative, funny, and irresistibly sweet, this is destined to be a family favorite.

Adams Morgan Fugue Fardon, Alex | Self (318 pp.) | $15.99 paper June 13, 2026 | 9798994325421

Strong pro­ tagonists and vivid descriptions anchor Fardon’s debut novel about second chances, community, and love. Oliver Bartholomew, a retired lawyer, has tried to build a meaningful life by watching out for his D.C. neighborhood, Adams Morgan. He’s a member of the “Junger Squad,” a small group of men who do good in the community, as inspired by the Sebastian Junger quote “Only children owe nothing.” Nevertheless, Oliver’s world is rupturing—first when his beloved dog needs to be euthanized and then when his college sweetheart Rose Dellaplane calls after decades of silence. Oliver and Rose reunite, causing both to question their past and ponder what truly makes a meaningful life. Meanwhile, a local pizza restaurant has been bought out by a corporation whose sole interest is maximizing profit for its investors. As the exterior plot builds toward a climax around the restaurant, the interior pain of the past resurfaces for Oliver and Rose. Both carry secrets and guilt for failures on drastically different scales. Oliver tells Rose, “Whatever you’ve done, no matter how terrible, there’s only one question you ever need to answer: What do I do next? The important choices are the ones we have yet to make.” Each must finally acknowledge 134

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the past to truly build a healthy future. While the most basic summary of this plot sounds trite—college sweethearts reunite to save a local business—the execution is powerful, thoughtful, and tender. The language soars lyrically without sounding pretentious: “He felt the rise and fall of Frannie’s breath as he stared up into the black, listening to the late-night sounds of his own neighborhood, and those of the throbbing city beyond.” The philosophical, almost elegiac, tone echoes Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day (1989). Well-crafted vignettes of supporting characters also elevate the story. An impressive literary novel filled with both searing regret and stirring hope.

A Dangerous Season Fee, Russell | Outer Island Press (318 pp.) $14.99 paper | September 6, 2021 9781949661569 | Series: A Sheriff Matt Callahan Mystery, 3

The mystery surrounding a young mute girl on the run takes a dramatic twist in Fee’s novel. In the final book in Fee’s Sheriff Matt Callahan Mystery series, Callahan, his girlfriend Julie, and her son Max are among the few people who have stayed on the remote northern Michigan island after tourist season has ended (a plane is the only way off until spring). When Callahan goes on a predawn stakeout with island curmudgeon Claude Demarest, who claims someone is stealing his chickens, the hooded thief arrives and is chased and caught: Shockingly, the culprit is a young, mute girl of about 10. At the insistence of Julie, who is the dispatcher at the police station, the feral-seeming child (whose body has burn marks) comes home with her and Callahan instead of staying in a cell. But the girl is gone the next morning. Eventually she’s captured again, and once more she stays with Callahan, who believes she is Ojibwe. She seems to recognize the

Anishinaabemowin language when a tribal representative speaks to her. She then draws pictures of the Wendigo, a spirit that looms over Native American country, and she indicates that she may not want to go back to her home. Callahan has other island issues to deal with, too—someone has stocked one of the island lakes with virus-carrying fish, and when a badly mutilated body is found in the snow, the word on the street is that the death-dealing Wendigo is coming for others, too. Fee’s characters tend to be well crafted, and the crisp dialogue comes off as authentic and honest. And certainly the Native American angle adds depth to the story, but the pacing could be quicker. The isolation and cold of a north Michigan island is well drawn. The fun of “ice bowling,” the oddity of thundersnow, and the brightness and stillness of a frosty winter day put readers in an “up north” state of mind. A novel whose slow-burning fuse eventually ignites and sparkles.

The Tumor in the Clay Francis, Nick | Driftwood Press (232 pp.) $29.99 paper | September 29, 2026 9781949065442

A surgeon suffers from chronic illness in this graphic novel. Francis’ story, which follows a once-vibrant man who’s suffering from “a mysterious ailment,” is almost entirely wordless. At the book’s outset, a nameless older man simply goes about his routine. His home and life are in shambles, much different from the life displayed in the photos from his past. Pain consumes him: Pills, treatments, and trials dominate his days. The nameless protagonist has not, however, relented to this seemingly endless routine. Mimicking the cycle of chronic pain, the art shows the respite from pain in calmer panels, from medication or care, only to always relent to the jagged and twisted nature of recurring illness. Then, in an explosion of passion across the page, the K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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A compelling fairy-tale allegory that interrogates political complacency. K I N G ’ S C O U N T Y TA L E S

protagonist reclaims his former identity as a doctor. He turns his scalpel on himself in a desperate attempt to help himself the way he has helped others. Francis’ decision to tell this story almost entirely in the illustrations is beautifully executed; the art ebbs and flows from smooth and precise to chaotic and frightening. More than anything, this work represents grasping for control in the quiet chaos that is the human body. The short timeframe of events, running over the course of an afternoon with flashbacks, and the book’s length of nearly two hundred pages, puts a strain on some of the later panels. While the wordless agony works wonders in the climax of this work, many of the down moments result in beautifully drawn panels blurring together. Even then, all the panels exude a dedication to visual storytelling and easily include the audience in every emotion. With the explosive rise in the popularity of graphic novels, this risky project pays off by leaning wholeheartedly into the visuals. A powerful testament to visual art’s ability to say what we really feel when words fail.

Kirkus Star

King’s County Tales Gilham, Hannah | Illus. by Khristian Gilham Goblin Market Press (308 pp.) | $15.99 paper | August 29, 2026 | 9798234001238

A young writer recounts dark fairy tales of dystopian oppression in Gilham’s fantasy novel. Wilhelm “Willie” Grimmerly wishes to leave the Blackened Forest on a journalism internship (“Whether brave or naive, K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Willie believed stories matter”). Upon her arrival in King’s County, Willie finds herself censored, relegated to writing propaganda in praise of marriage and femininity. Frustrated, she records the controversial stories of the Resistance, writing about the Levens (magical fairy folk) who suffer persecution under the King. “We all knew there were fringe groups in the forest who believed the hateful rhetoric coming from the Castle,” Willie writes, and she soon enters an underground world where Levens share their stories of horrific deeds undertaken by the King and his minions, the Menes. Laws from King’s County remove the Levens from their jobs and businesses, and new travel restrictions reminiscent of antisemitic policies in Nazi Germany contribute to the oppressive environment. (Black Carriages disappear Levens from their homes and workplaces.) Same-sex partners are met with social ostracization and violence. Willie is a single woman whose visa requires her to marry; it’s a misogynistic policy connected to eugenics and the propagation of “Man” over Leven. In contrast, Levens experience traumatizing reproduction crackdowns: “It wouldn’t occur to me for some time that growing life was its own resistance,” Willie reflects. In this novel, Gilham argues that “to create art and tell stories is to push back against power.” Willie’s work unfolds as a series of short tales that deepen the reader’s understanding of systemic discrimination; King’s County represents all systemic oppression, whether in the form of racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, or any other classification that divides human beings. Willie functions as a voice of resistance: “Is this the King’s County of our dreams and hopes? A King’s County for our children?” Willie’s tale

effectively prompts readers to reflect on the ways in which governments legislate societal hatred into political violence. A compelling fairy-tale allegory that interrogates political complacency with barbed storytelling.

Wellness Bridge: Decoding Today’s Health Hacks With the Wisdom of Ancient Healing: A Case for Integrative Medicine Grover, Keshav | Amplify Publishing (216 pp.) $29.95 | August 4, 2026 | 9798891386327

Grover discusses various styles of medicine and wellness techniques in this health guide. The author, a physician, invites readers to treat his book as a buffet by using the parts that work and bypassing those that don’t. His first topic, integrative medicine, is the form that he practices— it’s an approach that “considers the entire person.” In integrative medicine, physicians encourage healthy lifestyles instead of addressing symptoms in isolation, consider niche treatments like acupuncture, use a case-by-case method, and embrace empathy. But conventional (allopathic) medicine remains important—per Grover, despite a tendency for allopathic practitioners to speed through appointments and overly rely on medication, their methodology is unmatched for clear-cut issues such as broken bones or heart attacks. Other medical approaches covered include holistic medicine, which incorporates practices like yoga and ayurveda, and functional medicine, which addresses the root cause of chronic disease and prioritizes “continuous coaching” over prescriptions. The author also addresses broad topics that contribute to overall good health, such as sleep, nutrition, community, the importance of staying active, and regenerative practices such as light therapy and saunas. Narrowing things down, he includes daily menus of health-enhancing foods and provides schedules of healthy activities readers can SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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A nostalgic memoir for readers interested in the way things were. WALKING ON CINDERS

follow at different phases of their lives. Grover’s book is useful as an overview for those curious about medicine and health, offering just enough information to pique interest but never delving too far into any one subject. His use of simple, direct language in lieu of medical jargon further enhances the work’s accessibility. The author’s Indian background allows for compelling perspectives as Grover discusses ayurvedic doshas, celebrating Diwali, and the healing properties of turmeric and Himalayan pink salt. Overall, the book has the clean, organized feel of a well-run shop, prioritizing consistency over flashiness. The information is neatly packaged, bullet-pointed lists of practices that readers can follow are organically tucked into the text, and the supplemental charts (detailing topics like the seven chakras and a food pyramid) are colorful, attractive, and informative. A tidy, concise survey that will spur readers to learn more about healthy practices.

Walking on Cinders Hankes, Judith Elaine | Self (228 pp.) | $13.75 paper | December 31, 2025 | 9798181308312

Hankes celebrates resilience, family, and a quaint way of life in this episodic memoir. Growing up in the late 1940s and 1950s on islands along Illinois’ Fox River, Hankes recounts a childhood shaped by poverty but rarely defined by it. Living in salvaged shanties without modern conveniences, Judith and her siblings trapped animals, 136

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hauled water, endured floods, survived house fires, and transformed hardship into everyday adventure. Rather than presenting a conventional narrative arc, the memoir unfolds as a collection of loosely connected anecdotes, including being lowered into a sewage-filled outhouse to retrieve an expensive pen, discovering fossils worthy of the Chicago Field Museum, rescuing injured wildlife, and witnessing violence among migrant railroad workers that ends in murder. Hankes consistently contrasts the family’s material deprivation with the richness of their experiences, crediting her deeply religious mother for fostering compassion, curiosity, and a love of nature despite the family’s chronic financial instability: “Though Mama and Papa appeared to be flawed because of their life style, they each possessed redeeming qualities. Papa had the ability to make and keep friends… Mama’s redeeming quality was compassion.” The prose is straightforward and conversational, allowing the memories to speak for themselves, though the structure often resembles a scrapbook more than a sustained memoir. With little overarching conflict or reflection tying the episodes together, many chapters feel interchangeable, causing the narrative to lose momentum as it progresses. Readers seeking a traditional memoir with emotional development may find the repetitive anecdotal format limiting, while those fascinated by midcentury rural life, self-sufficiency, and unconventional childhoods will appreciate the wealth of period detail, such as when Hankes writes of “Cleanliness Inspection Duty,” a 1950s “cleanliness campaign…sponsored by the Ivory Soap Company and promoted throughout the U.S.” Family photographs included at the close reinforce the memoir’s nostalgic tone and personal authenticity. A nostalgic memoir for readers interested in the way things were.

All the Time in the World Herman, Michelle | Illus. by Kathryn Dorrian Brighton Shore Press (336 pp.) | $16.99 paper September 15, 2026 | 9798234120595

In Herman’s middle-grade novel, a time-­ traveling tween realizes that the answers to her problems lie in the most unexpected place—the past. During the summer before sixth grade, Charlotte Hartlace, who’s half Jewish and white, finds herself feeling lonely after a fight with her Black best friend, Lyric Jackson-Kennedy. Charlotte spends the summer helping her elderly neighbor, Maud Whiton, by walking her dog Murry. As Charlotte opens up to Maud about her family, friendships, and the challenges of growing up, Maud gives her a gold watch. Charlotte discovers that the watch allows her to travel back in time and that the past is the key to understanding the people she loves. While traveling through time, Charlotte learns more about the people closest to her and realizes that her actions have helped shape them into the people she knows in the present. She learns to understand Lyric on a deeper level, supports her sibling Eli as they struggle with their identity, and discovers that there’s more to her neighbor Henry Stern than the unhappy person she’s believed him to be. Each adventure shows Charlotte that understanding someone’s past is the key to understanding who they become, bringing her closer to the people she loves. When Maud disappears, Charlotte must rely on her friends and the lessons she’s learned to help bring Maud and Murry home. This coming-of-age story uses magic to follow Charlotte’s inner turmoil and emotional growth as she navigates the challenges associated with growing up. Mixed with the excitement of time travel, the story realistically portrays an 11-year-old learning empathy, forgiveness, and self-acceptance. The rules of time travel and its limitations are not clearly explained because the focus remains on Charlotte’s character development rather K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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than spending time defining a magic system. Supporting characters include LGBTQ+ family members and neighbors who broaden Charlotte’s understanding of others. This mix of friendship, family, and time-travel magic reminds readers that everyone has a story worth understanding.

Leeds Point Hill, Cindy Ellen | Selkie Songs Publishing (352 pp.) | $20.99 paper | June 26, 2026 9781066688418

An Englishwoman in colonial New Jersey battles loneliness, deadly snakes, the Royal Navy, and a horrible husband in Hill’s epic poem. Hill’s yarn opens in the year 1702 with Edmund Talmadge, a ship’s captain fresh from England, depositing Esther Talmedge, his new bride, on the New Jersey shore before promptly sailing off to Annapolis. Stuck in a fishing shack by a salt marsh in the middle of nowhere, Esther learns to fish, dig clams, and sling rocks to knock pigeons out of the air. She also gets help from a woman named Welania, a Lenape hunter who gives her a haunch of venison; Hannah Fearson, an old, sightless woman who was imprisoned during the Salem witch hunt; Samuel, who’s on the run from his former enslavers; and a feral boy called Blue. Esther herself experiences extreme, seemingly random dangers. A British warship happens upon her while she’s swimming in the nude and briefly takes her prisoner on the grounds that any woman who can swim must be a witch. She’s repeatedly attacked by a marsh snake, and she’s almost killed by hunters who are torturing an enslaved couple and tormenting a bear and her cubs. Esther also pieces together stray rumors that her husband is actually a cruel enslaver with a sideline in serially marrying rich women, whom he then murders, along with their families, in order to gain control of their K IR KU S R E V IE W S

inheritances—a fate that, she surmises, he has in store for her. When, after months away, Edmund finally reappears in his ship, the stage is set for a battle royale. This novel in verse paints a dark, sometimes-lurid portrait of an America “with slavery and death at its foundation, / blind to everything except expansion,” where toxic rapacity is rooted deep in the raw wilderness itself. (A leitmotif is the repetitive struggle of a plucky osprey against a vicious bald eagle.) Esther embodies this theme: She witnesses racism and misogyny and finds refuge in an egalitarian community of outcasts; later, she feels the enticement of greed and hierarchical privilege herself. Hill presents an atmospheric panorama of the colonial frontier, its natural abundance both awesome and squalid as vast flocks of passenger pigeons darken the sky (while relieving themselves on Esther). The narrative is streaked with magical realism, with many sections written from the viewpoint of rabbits, fawns, raccoons, and birds who understand English and eavesdrop on the machinations of humans. Hill writes mostly in a steady, supple iambic pentameter that feels smooth and natural, but occasionally the poetry breaks into a fragmented, breathless impressionism when Esther’s under extreme pressure. The writing is wonderfully evocative, conjuring intense moods via an accretion of searing imagery: “No skin is left on the palms of my hands,” Esther observes as she tries to bury the bodies of seven women she found rotting in the marsh. “My clothes are black and wreaking of decay, / nerves numbed, so I no longer look away / when muscles fall from bones in ragged strands.” A haunting, imaginative vision of America’s blighted origins, conveyed in sometimes-bruising language. For more Indie content, visit Kirkus online.

Sleeping With Leeches: A Memoir of Power, Seduction, and Two Years in the Borneo Forest Holmsen, Katherine | She Writes Press (256 pp.) | $18.99 paper | January 19, 2027 9798896362067

A woman recounts pursuing a doctorate degree in anthropology amid a sexual entanglement with her celebrated adviser in this powerful memoir. In the late 1990s, Holmsen, in her mid-30s and at a crossroads in her life, started a doctoral program in anthropology at the University of Arizona. A seminar in complex systems marked the beginning of a yearslong sexual and intellectual entanglement with prominent anthropologist Steve Lansing. Buoyed by Lansing’s praise of her work, she eventually asked him to be her adviser. After deciding to do her fieldwork on hunter-gatherers in Borneo, she traveled to Indonesia to scout potential work sites. Her relationship with Lansing changed when she met him in Bali—per the author, he kissed her over dinner, she rebuffed his attempt to sleep with her, and he offered to fund her research in Borneo. Holmsen describes how, back in Arizona, Lansing had blown hot and cold, forcing the author to jump through hoops to keep his attention, since her research depended on it. Eventually, he withdrew his offer to fund her trip when she pulled away from him. Holmsen successfully completed her research and her degree, eventually drawing a parallel between her situation and the Punan people she studied. Holmsen witheringly depicts an academic culture that allowed behavior like that which she attributes to Lansing to flourish. Early in her studies, she learned that the university interviewed a professor who’d been fired from his last job for sleeping with an undergraduate; another woman whispered that because the student was “older,” “it doesn’t really count.” Lansing’s manipulations as described here were insidious. The author SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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recalls that in Bali, he told her that his wife wouldn’t kiss him; later, after he’d successfully gotten her into bed, he admitted that he still slept with his wife and never meant to imply otherwise. Holmsen’s journey to untangle her mind and academic career from Lansing’s morass is compelling. Her emotional confusion is expertly portrayed and will be easy for many readers to relate to. A gripping, thoughtful memoir that explores gendered power structures.

Striking Justice Jimerson, Micheal E. | Elwood Jimerson Farms (368 pp.) | $21.99 paper January 12, 2027 | 9798998660535 Series: An E.J. Kane Mystery, 3

In Jimerson’s third E.J. Kane Mystery novel, a Texas Ranger fights against injustice, taking on both the legal system and the cartel that’s damaging his community. In 2017, Texas Ranger E.J. Kane (who is “nice and good-looking” in addition to being “a total Boy Scout”) is going through a divorce and is the subject of gossip in a secretarial pool that includes Marcia Lopez, the assistant of ambitious attorney Larence Kutnick. Flash back to 1979: The wife of Kutnick’s wealthy client Gerald Danielson, a former Miss Texas who “couldn’t keep her legs closed,” has been murdered. Marcia knows that her boss is framing Black handyman Gabe “Gee” Jessup for the crime, since getting Danielson off will solidify Kutnick’s reputation. Jessup is convicted, and his parole is denied for decades. During that time, Kutnick becomes a powerful man in the community, advancing to the position of judge. Still working for Kutnick in 2017, and still feeling guilty because she knows the convicted handyman was innocent, Marcia decides to send a letter to her boss ostensibly written by Jessup, threatening to have Kutnick killed for framing him. Marcia reasons that Kutnick will show Kane the letter and that Kane will investigate, 138

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ultimately turning up the truth about the framed handyman. But more guilt consumes Marcia, and danger finds her in the form of a cartel operative with pointy-toed boots and a butterfly tattoo when she’s stranded on a lonely road after her car gets a flat tire. While this novel can act as a stand-alone, it helps to read the series in order, since the characters’ backstories and past dealings with the encroaching cartel are abbreviated in this installment. There’s a lot of action, in addition to tender family moments, to take in. The characters—none of them perfect and some of them perfectly awful—are thoroughly fleshed out, and the attitudes of Texans and the pecan and dogwood trees of their landscapes are well defined. The author, a county and district attorney in Texas, has an ear for both legalese and down-home dialogue. A compelling tale of Lone Star State secrets and lies.

In the Arms of Mountains: A Memoir of Land, Love, and Queer Resistance in Red America LeFavour, Cole Nicole | Beacon Press (240 pp.) $28.95 | May 26, 2026 | 9780807024188

This memoir of Idaho’s first openly gay legislator traces a life lived in two worlds. LeFavour’s life as an openly gay, gender-­ nonconforming activist unfolded as the region’s conservative movement was growing in political power. The author begins the narrative with their unconventional and rural upbringing in Woody Creek, Colorado, where they were a neighbor of Hunter S. Thompson’s before moving to Stanley, Idaho, along the Salmon River. The memoir gains momentum as LeFavour leads the reader through their stints as a wilderness ranger, an activist opposing nuclear weapons testing, and an LGBTQ+ advocate in the 1990s. The second half of the text details the author’s time as the first openly gay legislator in the Idaho state government,

where they secured a seat in the House before winning an Idaho senate seat. LeFavour also discusses the evolution of their relationship with their life partner, Carol, to whom a chapter is dedicated. (“Carol isn’t my type, I thought. And yet there we were dancing.”) This is a story split between the poles of wilderness and civilization—the sense of freedom from gender expectations that characterizes the great outdoors contrasts sharply with the strictures of society and political bureaucracy. The author moved fluidly through the rugged landscapes of the mountainous West, but their path in the Idaho senate was beset by hierarchical friction often tied to their efforts to pass legislation to legally define members of the LGBTQ+ community as a protected class. The memoir is affecting and inspirational; as they continued their activist and legislative work, LeFavour had to unravel their own gender identity in an era when such conversations were still nascent in broader society. While the author’s peek behind the political curtain proves fascinating, LeFavour also has a clear gift for nature writing, although it’s underutilized in this memoir, which instead focuses on their work in government. Still, whatever the context, LeFavour writes with a keen eye and arresting honesty, which many readers are bound to deeply respect. A stirring memoir of a soul forged in wilderness and tested in the halls of power.

Sal Marino Never Misses Lindsay, Stephen | Self (155 pp.) | $19.99 paper | June 19, 2026 | 9798182242462

Loved ones, friends, and former partners reckon with the legacy of a complicated man in Lindsay’s novel. For 30 years Sal Marino has run the Marino Agency, and he’s built a reputation as one of the best men in the business. (“They say I never miss,” he informs the reader. “I started that.”) >>> K IR KU S R E V IE W S

B O O K L I S T // I N D I E

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Best Indie Books of September 4

1 Parrot Heaven

5

By Jessica Howland Kany

A fun, madcap story about a librarian, a dead body, and a man named Dogbox in a unique Kiwi village.

2 Web3, AI & IP

By Yulia Leshchenko

A compact but comprehensive overview of how to digitally protect your creativity.

3 Hurry Up, Henry! By Marnie Mosiman; illus. by Masha Sudovykh

A gorgeous read about adjusting to a newborn sibling that models ageappropriate emotional communication and perspective.

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4 More Than a Crime By Alli O’Malley

O’Malley’s voice resonates with reclaimed power in this must-read survivor’s memoir.

5 Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands By Ellen Rachlin

A historically accurate and well-drawn portrait of a fascinating female historical protagonist.

6 A Mess of Monsters

For more booklists, visit Kirkus online.

By Carissa Turpin; illus. by Izzy Robe

A slightly creepy, completely entertaining collection of weird tales.

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Learning from his doctor that he has a “compromised” heart, Marino reflects back on his career, including the regrets that keep him awake at night and the compromises that have kept him in business. Also providing their perspectives are a number of others in his orbit, including his wife Lena, his daughter Gabby, a music director named Sid, and a former partner named Diane Causa, with whom he ran Marino & Causa from 1986 to 1990. Diane never revealed the reason for the dissolution of their partnership. In 1990 a young man approached her and said that he’d been sexually abused by a powerful producer, Marty Gould. Diane had hoped she and Sal would confront Marty together but was devastated when Sal made it clear he wouldn’t support her. Now, with a reporter nosing around and inquiring about the late Gould, the truth about Sal’s complicity threatens to spill out, thus bringing his legacy to ruin. While never excusing his protagonist’s failings, Lindsay writes with enormous sympathy for Sal. Late in the book, readers learn that Sal has committed a pivotal and shocking act of generosity, a revelation that doesn’t cancel out his sins. But, taken together, these elements add up to a multidimensional portrait of a man who can be both terrible and great at any given time. Perhaps the book’s most impressive feature is how it conveys a sense of momentous events at long last reaching their culmination—despite the brevity of the novel. The final encounter with Diane is perfectly calibrated, true to both characters while eschewing melodrama. It’s a novel whose sense of realism also leaves room for intermittent bursts of imaginative energy. A keenly observed, poly-vocal character study about taking the full measure of a person’s life.

The Unforgettable Boxcar: The Untold True Story of Friendship, Hawaiian Tradition, and a Heroic Little Boxcar Lorimer, Janet & Kerry Lorimer | Illus. by Claudia Gadotti | Paw Power House (68 pp.) $18.99 | November 7, 2025 | 9798999071125

Janet and Kerry Lorimer present a heartwarming middle-grade nonfiction work about generosity after the Second World War. In October 1947, an American journalist named Drew Pearson planned a “Friendship Train” that would collect food for Europe on a route stretching from California to New York. By December, Pearson’s train had collected $40 million in food and supplies, which were then shipped to France. Later, André Picard and Louis Cast, two Frenchmen, created a train like the American “Friendship Train” called the 1949 Merci Train, in order to show their thanks for the American donations that France had received. The authors center the stories of these trains around the Hawaiian concept of “kokua,” which means “choosing to help others without expecting anything in return.” Though Hawaii was not a state in 1947, Hawaiian people raised money for sugar to be sent on the Friendship Train. The authors do an excellent job describing the trains in detail: “With a hiss of steam and shrill blasts from the locomotive’s whistle, the little boxcar traveled across France, its wheels clickity-­clacking against the rails.” Young readers will especially like the attention-­ grabbing way in which the sounds of the trains are written: “CHUFF-chuff-­chuffchuff, CHUFF-chuff-chuff-chuff, WHOO-WOO.” Gadotti’s meticulous

An engaging travel narrative and a thoughtful account of self-discovery. MONGOLIAN LOVE LETTERS

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drawings create a sense of motion, with one scene depicting a soldier sitting on the edge of the boxcar. Tying the story to themes of altruistic generosity, the authors write, “As the history of the Friendship and Gratitude trains spread, people from all over came together and gave from their hearts in whatever way they could, all for the love of a little French boxcar.” In the end, this book is a sweet tale of generosity, especially for those interested in this little-known historical episode. A heartwarming must-read about the value of friendship and kindness prevailing over adversity.

Mongolian Love Letters: Finding My Footing at the Edge of the World Lundin, Rachael | Horizon Line Books (213 pp.) $22.99 | April 16, 2026 | 9798994697931

Lundin presents a memoir of a trip across the Gobi Desert for charity. The author offers a gripping account of her participation in the Gobi Gallop in 2022, an event described as the world’s longest annual charity ride. It’s a voyage across the Gobi Desert to raise funds for Mongolian children who have been displaced by the effects of climate change. Although the author makes the vetting process for participants clear at the beginning, her sense that she and her fellow riders felt somewhat out of their depth may remind readers of the 1991 comedy film City Slickers, which also featured a group of non-regular riders pushing their limits with a formidable yet wise and supportive expedition guide. It’s full of anecdotes about the dangers, large and small, of riding across the Gobi Desert, even with a medical support van nearby, ranging from horses stumbling due to gopher holes to getting separated from the larger group. Lundin’s story is also about adjusting to unfamiliar customs, such as not giving names to horses (although she and her fellow riders would sometimes give their steeds nicknames themselves). Also, for the K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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author, this account intertwined with her mourning the untimely death of her husband, Charlie. Overall, Lundin’s memoir is an engaging travel story, but it works best as an account of endurance and pushing one’s limits, while simul­ taneously dealing with culture shock and sometimes-tense group dynamics. She effectively details the bonding that developed among the riders—not without some strife—and the unexpected kindnesses of the Mongolian crew­ members. As a result of this focus, the charity aspect of this event, which was followed by a gala, sometimes gets shifted to the background. In the end, though, the book brings to life an offbeat tale of adventure in a reflective manner. An engaging travel narrative and a thoughtful account of self-discovery.

Forgotten Lands: Poems of the Ancestors Martin, Lauren | She Writes Press (104 pp.) $17.99 paper | December 8, 2026 9798896362203

Martin’s poetry collection maps the unsettled ground between estrangement and return. The book is arranged in six very epic-­sounding movements—­ “Longing,” “Ending,” “Fury,” “Ghosts,” “Reconciliation,” and “Countenance”— followed by an epilogue titled “Land.” The haiku that open each section work less as summaries than tuning notes, briefly resetting the register before the poetic voice enters a mournful register. Ifá and Yorùbá cosmology are not ornamental reference points here but are part of the collection’s essence: Ọ̀ṣun, Ikú, Ọyá, and the Egúngún appear alongside lovers, siblings, dying friends, inherited names, and California’s increasingly volatile weather. Martin’s advantage is her willingness to let the sacred remain bodily, domestic, and occasionally unruly. In “Crossing the Divide-N.A.,” the speaker sits “in the stillness of your dying” without forcing K IR KU S R E V IE W S

the moment toward revelation. “Owl of the Full Moon” brings illness, burial ritual, danger, and family strife into the same nocturnal field. “Letters to My Grandfathers” carries a different pressure, allowing migration, persecution, assimilation, and contemporary suspicion to gather until ancestry feels less like background than the main subject of focus. Martin’s voice moves easily among tenderness, fury, profanity, humor, and incantation, often changing tone within a single poem. That tonal instability suits a book concerned with what remains after love, health, certainty, or homeland has shifted beyond recognition. The writing opens most fully when Martin trusts scene and image to convey meaning. Grief becomes a mouse quietly worrying at the garbage; death sits beside the speaker at a window; a sister finds companionship in a Keanu Reeves film during chemotherapy; California gives and repossesses its beauty through ash, water, and fire. Some of the longer pieces explain their emotional stakes after the images have already made them clear, muting what was initially sharp. Yet the author’s candor is difficult to resist. These poems ask, among other things, whether anger can coexist with devotion and whether reconciliation means peace or merely a more honest way of carrying the wound. A searching, emotionally candid collection that makes spiritual inheritance feel palpable and real.

The Living Temple: How Your Body Heals Itself From the Inside Out Mehul | Self (243 pp.) | $32.99 July 11, 2026 | 9798180083364

Meditation, diet, breathing exercises, and introspection can help alleviate disease, according to this multifaceted wellness primer. Behavioral researcher Mehul writes from a perspective that draws on traditional Chinese

and ayurvedic Hindu medicine, which ascribe chronic illnesses to blockages and imbalances in energy flows in the body and link physical symptoms to emotional disturbances. He harmonizes these ideas with Western studies of the health effects of stress and of neurological processes. The book frames its discussions with stories of fictional composite characters, based on real-life accounts, that address ailments with treatments rooted in these ancient traditions. Sarah, for example, reduces her symptoms of thyroiditis, chronic fatigue, adrenal insufficiency, and depression with guided meditation, anti-inflammatory foods, phone-free walks, and somatic therapy, all of which get her to stop obsessively ruminating on her body’s limitations. Priya, afflicted with hyperthyroidism and the heartbreak of two miscarriages, gets help from an ayurvedic practitioner, who traces her problems to her sacral and throat chakras, as well as grief issues. Daniel treats his elevated heart attack risk with HeartMath, a practice that combines slow breathing with meditation on gratitude; later, his blood pressure and cardiac markers show remarkable improvement. James is able to cut back on his antidepressants by taking kundalini yoga classes; Marco reduces his psoriasis by 80% by replacing refined sugars, processed grains, seed oils, and late-night alcohol with dark leafy greens, wildcaught oily fish, turmeric, ginger, berries, fermented foods, and other colorful vegetables. Finally, Diane alleviates her chronic anxiety with theta state meditation and a Dispenza workshop (named for author and wellness personality Joe Dispenza), which uses meditation to get patients “to feel, in the present body, in the present moment, as though the healing has already occurred.” Mehul’s treatise argues two broad principles—that the mind profoundly affects the body, and that the body will heal itself if environmental and psychological impediments are cleared away—and traces these ideas through intricate and provocative discussions of everything from the law of attraction to fundamental physics: “Everything else, the vast overwhelming majority of what you experience as your solid, continuous, bounded physical self, is empty space SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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animated by force fields, electrical charges, and quantum probability waves.” The book pairs a comprehensive and highly readable introduction to various theories from Eastern medicine with detailed instructions on basic practices of meditation and breathing. Appendices provide easy-to-follow directions and schedules for carrying out the author’s recommended wellness routine. Mehul’s prose weaves erudite but lucid scientific explanations into richly evocative descriptions of painful psychic traumas of everyday life that have distinct physical effects: “Chronic, unexpressed anger that has been converted into a more socially acceptable presentation, quiet resentment, chronic cynicism, the particular exhaustion of someone who has swallowed too many things for too many years, finds its way to the liver with a reliability that is difficult to dismiss as coincidence.” Many readers will find uncannily accurate depictions of their travails in these pages, along with a useful road map for pursuing the restoration of their bodies and spirits. An informative self-help book that combines deep medical and psychological insights with reassuring practical advice.

Trials of a Legal Junkie Merritt, Rich | Milspace Books (511 pp.) | $23.99 paper | October 6, 2026 | 9798895030424

Merritt ushers readers into a chaotic world of ambition, addiction, and redemption in his novel. To say this work is thinly veiled autobiography is an understatement: The reader will quickly make the connection that protagonist Rob Marion is a fictional doppelgänger for the author himself. Merritt, a public interest lawyer, activist, and podcaster, in fact attended the fundamentalist Bob Jones University complex (from first grade!), while the fictional Marion has the same awful experience at Bill Johnson University; 142

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they both quit in disgust before graduating. In the novel, Rob is flogging his book Secrets of a Gay Marine Porn Star, a memoir that Merritt actually did publish back in 2005. They are also both lawyers. What Rob is especially seeking is a movie deal, and he keeps coming tantalizingly close (even as he’s asked to cut ethical corners). A final note: Both Merritt and Marion are not only gay, but alcoholics and drug addicts (Merritt a recovering alcoholic / drug addict), and all the pressures of Rob’s ambitions lead to relapse, then rehab, then another and truly godawful relapse. In that respect, the book is a real Dantean roller coaster. Gay culture looms large, and the most formative aspect of Rob’s (and Merritt’s) life is the trauma suffered at “BJU,” with the Johnsons’ hypocrisy and vicious hatred of homosexuality or anything else their Old Testament reading tells them is morally abhorrent, including the sort of virulent racism that gets Rob’s blood boiling. Ironically, since childhood he’s been friends with Bill Johnson III (Billy), who has no interest in running the family business. Rob is tired of practicing law; he considers it boring and essentially a way to make rich people richer. But his last experience in rehab convinces him that he can be a lawyer for the good, for the underdog, and he embarks on a career change doing appellate law. The book ends with Rob embarking on a hopeful future. The author writes with passion and explicit candor. The descriptions of hitting bottom as an addict can be terrifying, written with the sort of low-life bona fides that shouldn’t be wished on anyone. He does have fun with the doppelgänger aspects of it all: Merritt even toys with readers by inventing a character, another “Rob Marion,” who’s a lawyer. Readers never meet this evil twin, but he’s truly villainous and eventually gets his comeuppance. Is this doppelgänger ploy a way to burnish his own life through a flawed but ultimately heroic double? Some might see it that way. Readers do get the protagonist warts and all; how else could they be made to believe that the main character had been a gay porn star? The final pages, where Rob is embarking on his new life as a criminal

lawyer, offer a particularly gripping courtroom procedural: immensely complicated and convoluted and borderline immoral. In Rob’s world, everything is hard-won but ambiguous, and truth is “a mysterious paradox [but] paradox is a truth standing on its head in order to attract attention.” Readers will have at least an inkling that Rob will go forging ahead, a flawed but good man doing the best he can. A modern-day picaresque novel with an unforgettable hero.

Kirkus Star

The Brave Fuzzy: A Microbiome Story Miao, Eliana with Pen & Pipette | Illus. by Johanna Gousset | Pen & Pipette (32 pp.) $19.99 | September 8, 2026 | 9798996035106

A picture book about the microbes that live inside the human gut, co-authored by a collective of high school students. In a village by a river, several round, anthropomorphic blobs called blue fuzzies live in little round huts. One day, a storm damages their homes, and as the blue fuzzies try to rebuild, a stranger—an orange fuzzy—arrives to live with them. The blue villagers shun the newcomer until one of them realizes that “sometimes, the lonely are right in front of you” and befriends the stranger. Together, they build a village “filled with the warmth of feeling seen and being known” that eventually welcomes red and yellow fuzzies, too. When another storm arrives, the town’s residents weather it well, due to the strength of their many varicolored vines. On the last pages, the authors reveal that the fuzzies represent microbes, whose village lives inside us all, helping us to digest food and keeping us healthy. The book is credited to Pen & Pipette (a group of nearly two dozen high schoolers) and their executive director, Miao; together, they’ve delivered a superbly tender and emotional tale, followed by easy-to-grasp introductory science. Although the K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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fuzzies are merely circles with limbs, Gousset’s watercolor-like illustrations do a wonderful job of bringing them to life. A remarkable blend of science, storytelling, and art.

Plain Princess Jane Milne, Jennifer | Illus. by Julia Reshetnyak Auctor Press (345 pp.) | $10.99 paper October 7, 2024 | 9798991468015

An unmagical princess faces the trials of summer camp among royals with secret powers. Unlike everyone else in her world, Princess Jane of Smithvale does not have a Gift. Gifts are magical abilities bestowed by a trio of fairies at birth. As luck would have it, the fairy trio charmed Jane’s feline Lady Caterina instead. Jane has to keep her Giftlessness a secret because it could mean severe consequences for her family and their kingdom. Unfortunately, when she turns 14, she must attend a weeklong Royal Retreat for noble teens in which they share their Gifts and forge bonds. Jane’s anxiety spikes, but with her secret weapon, Caterina, by her side, she plans to fake a Gift. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, however, given Jane’s four posh cabinmates and the complicated group challenges they must complete (plus, Jane’s aunt and camp director Delilah have the ability to detect lies). Even the camp itself is not as perfect as it seems: “If the point of this Royal Retreat was for us to get to know each other outside of our titles, then why were we only allowed to bunk and sit with people like us?” This sophomore outing from author Milne, whose only previous middle-grade title was Cupid’s Kiss (2016), is the first in a series that’s sure to be welcomed by youngsters who have grown out of classic fairy tales. While the pace is somewhat uneven in the first third of the book, the story is otherwise enjoyable in the way that a Disney Channel original movie might be. Jane is a strong character who encourages readers to believe in themselves and to question the power structures around K IR KU S R E V IE W S

them. Reshetnyak’s illustrations are bright, eye-catching spots at the top of each chapter, helping readers keep track of whether Jane or Caterina is the narrator of the following section. A successful first title in a new middle-grade series that’s sure to excite budding fairy-tale lovers.

Heroes of Change: Stories of Transformation, Belonging, and Becoming Molebash, Philip | Atmosphere Press (226 pp.) $30.99 | $17.99 paper | September 1, 2026 9798901743621 | 9798901742990 paper

Molebash, a Loyola Marymount University professor, profiles five unexpected change­ makers and discusses the foundations of personal and societal transformation in this work. Observing that “the world feels as fractured as it ever has,” the author seeks to illuminate the mechanisms involved in positive changes that start with individual people and then ripple out to affect local and broader communities. He divides the book into sections that reflect Molebash’s five-step “Heroic Change Model,” which includes “awakening,” “calling,” “leaping,” “emerging,” and “becoming.” Woven throughout are profiles of five people the author considers heroes because of their exponentially positive influence on their communities or professional fields, ranging from Curtis Jenkins, a former bus driver who encouraged his young passengers toward greatness, to The Office actor Rainn Wilson, who became a spiritual seeker and storyteller. Molebash explains how each of these people saw a need for change and “didn’t wait for the perfect plan. They acted, even when the path ahead was unclear.” Their stories are likely to inspire readers to think through what they can do to have an immediate positive impact in their own spheres. Although the book is occasionally meta-discursive (“I haven’t told his story yet. But I will”; “Well…it’s my book. You’re in it, Rainn,

whether you like it or not”), it effectively speaks to readers rather than at them, as some other call-to-action books can do. Anecdotes from Molebash’s own life, from his parents’ move from San Diego to rural Oregon to his volunteer work in Tanzania with his own children, add a personal layer without shifting focus away from the book’s five subjects. Molebash’s model also proves to be highly nuanced and intentional; for example, he notes that the final state is “becoming,” not “became,” because he believes that change is a continuous journey—one that he likens to a spiral staircase, rather than “some final floor labeled Transformed.” A thoughtful blend of biographical vignettes, personal narrative, and inspiration.

Companionship Morel, I.C. | Imprint (163 pp.) | $9.99 paper July 28, 2026 | 9789730441802

In Morel’s novel, an Estonian man signs up to be a paid companion for women, unaware of the impact the job could have on his relationship. In Tallinn, a man named Toomas begins a new gig working as a paid companion for a company that has very strict rules. He’s not a sex worker; his job is to accompany women who are lonely, unsure, or maybe need a date for a company function. There are women contractors who are making a lot of money at this company, but Toomas has just three or four clients. He also has a girlfriend, named Annika. Toomas used to work in marketing but now is freelancing, while Annika has a corporate gig that keeps her busy. She knows what he’s doing, and she has plans for herself—she’s outgrowing Estonia and wants to move to Berlin. The move could mean big changes for Toomas, since he could work in marketing in Germany, but he has his reasons for staying. His clients include Karin, whom he really wants to kiss, but it’s against policy; Eliise is intriguing, and SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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he obviously likes her; and then there’s Helene, an elderly woman who’s seeking human connection. Toomas can’t help but feel like his worth is being determined by a website and its algorithm, with its constant demand for feedback. He must determine the trajectory of his life while confronting the facts that Tallinn isn’t all that big and that Annika may be leaving. Morel’s concise novel is well paced; the language is spare, but the ideas she explores are complex. The author places Toomas in a compelling context—he’s become stalled in life, but he’s rich in the number of interesting people surrounding him. Morel plainly and perceptively discusses the ways in which technology affects contemporary relationships, going beyond a simple account of juggling multiple people. Vivid details about the setting add color (“wasn’t that why Estonians had so many sayings about saunas?”), with characters feeling tied to the place while also being pulled away by various forces.

An incisive novel about relationships, both of the organic and paid-for varieties.

Bella and Bird Explore Sadness Plaskon, Deana | Illus. by Lea Marie Ravotti Bella and Bird Books (32 pp.) | $19.95 June 1, 2026 | 9798987268452

In Plaskon’s picture book, a wise horse and bird help a young girl communicate her feelings of sadness when her friends won’t play with her. Molly, a young, dark-haired girl with Asian heritage, feels sad when her friends tell her she isn’t good enough to join in their game. Bella, a silky-maned, piebald Gypsy Cob horse, comes over to keep her company, as does Bird, a colorful barn swallow. When Molly starts to cry, they encourage her to let it out. They tell her that they get sad, too, and that it’s good to explore emotions instead of ignoring or suppressing them. Bird helps Molly regulate her breathing; Bella carries art supplies in her bag and suggests that Molly draw her feelings to stop them from sticking inside. She also 144

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discourages “foggy thinking” (focusing on unhelpful thoughts) and asks about other children Molly might play with. (“Sometimes friends let you down, and you might let them down, too. That’s normal. But if it happens a lot, they might not be the right friends for you.”) Molly, feeling unburdened, realizes that there are two other girls she knows who might prove more reliable companions. Plaskon narrates in uncomplicated prose, focusing on Molly’s conversations with Bella and Bird while leaving Ravotti’s finely detailed, autumnal-hued illustrations to bring out the story’s nuances. The pictures evoke both poignance and a nature-based catharsis, and they depict a racially diverse cohort of children. Overtly instructional but well pitched and beautifully presented.

Benjamin Bookmark: The Secret Life of Bookmarks Rebbechi, Marielle | Illus. by Trish Heully Brindlemere (132 pp.) | $9.99 paper March 28, 2026 | 9798998550201

In Rebbechi’s children’s chapter book, a young bookmark dreams of becoming a “page location specialist.” In this delightful volume, the first in a series, young Benjamin Bookmark, part of an elementary school library’s bookmark collection, hopes to be a successful working bookmark one day, as he’s eager to hear books tell their stories. His friend and confidant, librarian Ms. Redmond, sympathizes. Ms. Redmond, who’s clearly comfortable with sentient bookmarks and talkative books, hides Benjamin from the eagle eye of stern head librarian Mrs. Flint and makes sure he starts bookmark school, held in her desk’s bottom drawer and taught by Professor James, a “worn but distinguished older bookmark.” Benjamin worries that he won’t be able to fulfill a bookmark’s responsibilities (preventing readers’ need to dog-ear page corners, for instance) or master the Professor’s

number one rule: “always remember your page,” so that readers will know where they’ve left off. Benjamin’s first job as a bookmark begins inauspiciously: “You’re giving me a rookie bookmark—a landlubber?” grumbles the book Tide Pools, who nevertheless shows Benjamin how to remember what page he needs to mark with a memory game that readers can use, too. “It’s surprisingly difficult to stay inside a book!” Benjamin muses after some mishaps that leave him battered and grubby. The messages here are laudable; the narrative posits that books are special things to be enjoyed, learned from, and taken care of, and Benjamin (a stand-in for any young reader) gradually develops self-­c onfidence by realizing the benefits of information and experience in working toward a goal. But there’s nothing pedantic in the author’s smart and humorous execution of this imaginative plot about an everyday human world mixed with living bookmarks and books. The playful tone is ably supported by Heully’s endearing pen-and-ink illustrations. The text includes a hands-on “Create Your Own Benjamin Bookmark” craft and links to more activities. Lively writing, charming illustrations, and a relatable, story-loving bookmark combine in a treat for young readers.

The Junkyard Reilly, Bryan | Illus. by Rich Denver Self (198 pp.) | $18 paper | January 19, 2026 9798903103942

In Reilly’s fantasy novel, dogs face life-and-death challenges in a junkyard in the woods. This compelling tale will resonate with dog lovers, even those who are older than its middle school target audience. The author’s respect for animals is clearly reflected in his observations of canine behavior, including their body language and their social, playful, and aggressive K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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interactions. The only humans in the narrative are the vile Mr. Fergusen, who runs a dogfighting enterprise in his junkyard garage, and his avid customers. All the other characters are animals, who speak to one another (but not to humans), form communities, and strategize. Exhausted pit bull Ninja is about to enter the ring, goaded by Fergusen and bloodthirsty men who “stink of rotten souls.” Unable to take any more abuse, Ninja decides that she won’t fight. There’s an authentic appeal to readers’ emotions in her decision and in what this “entertainment” entails, and the author doesn’t sugarcoat the dehumanizing reality of dogfighting, or the cruelty of a dog owner “who hates dogs so much that he starves their bellies, tortures their bodies, and conditions their minds toward violence.” Most of the story, though, happens among dogs in the junkyard, and, memorably, in the nearby forest. At one point, Dodge, one of the junkyard’s “free” watchdogs, orders his secret crew of abandoned strays to bring the half-­dead Ninja to his home; heaps of detritus (tires, TVs, home appliances, auto parts, empty freight railcars, and more) form tunnels and lairs on the north side, where Dodge and his crew live. On the south side, a rival pack resides, led by another watchdog, Saab, who’s broken the two groups’ uneasy truce. Dodge is hopeful that having a pit bull on their side will even the odds. Multiple conflicts then collide involving Dodge and Saab, Fergusen’s timid house dog, a vengeful wolf, a murderous mastiff, and an enraged grizzly bear. As the book heads toward its adrenaline-charged conclusion, excellent characterization gives the narrative dimension and emotional resonance. The entire story is enhanced by Denver’s expressive, watercolor-style illustrations. An affecting mix of fantasy, harsh reality, and high-stakes action.

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The Braided Prescription: Seven Practices for Living Well From the Ancient Ritual of Making Challah Ricanati, Beth | She Writes Press (184 pp.) $18.99 paper | September 1, 2026 9798896363866

Ricanati offers a spiritual recipe book for readers of all backgrounds. The book begins with a simple recipe for challah bread; what unfolds, as readers tear into the seven strands, is a recipe for life. A physician specializing in women’s health, the author knows firsthand the tolls of a high-stress lifestyle—for her, they culminated in likely stress-induced cardiac symptoms. For her health, she needed to adopt a new lifestyle; “lucky for me,” Ricanati writes, “I found such a prescription for stress management in a bowl of dough in my kitchen.” In this follow-up to her award-winning memoir, Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs (2018), the author walks readers through lessons learned over 20 years of making challah bread. She distills from these two decades the “Braided Prescription,” in which seven components of a purposeful life correspond with each braided strand of challah bread. Ricanati discusses the mental and physical benefits of rituals before moving on to the history of challah and its role in Jewish tradition. Each strand of the “Braided Prescription” is explored thoroughly in its own chapter. The topics include setting intention, pausing to breathe, embracing imperfection, and acting authentically; other topics include community and challah diplomacy, organization, and preparation. Each chapter ends with a recipe card summarizing the main takeaways. Interspersed throughout are “Doctor’s Sidebar[s]” in which the author draws on her medical background, citing tools such as the Maslach Burnout Inventory: “This tool measures three key dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment.” These entries

ground the text with concrete scientific figures and observations, all thoroughly supported by endnotes. Ricanati emphasizes that the practice she outlines is open to people of all backgrounds. While some of the advice, especially regarding mindfulness, is slightly repetitive in its phrasing, overall, the book rises to a successful conclusion. An engaging and accessible approach to living a happier, less stressful life.

La Llorona: The Awakening Romasanta, Mary | Sagga Publishing House (308 pp.) | $24.99 | February 28, 2026 9781964642024

Romasanta’s horror novel is a deep dive into grief and the terrors that hide beneath its troubled waters. Talented hacker and coder Ruth is one of the youngest people in her field, developing software and hardware well beyond her years. Happily married to John, her doting husband, she finds that the greatest difficulty in her life is her mother-in-law, Mi-Ra, who’s possessive of her two sons and sees Ruth as an interloper in their family. Tragedy strikes at a particularly tense Thanks­ giving dinner when John is killed in an armed robbery, leaving the two women awash in grief. Mi-Ra, still grieving her husband Greg, who died shortly before her son, begins to see visions of Greg calling to her, accompanied by sounds of sobbing and the dripping of water in the distance. To Ruth’s horror, she interrupts one of these visions to find that Mi-Ra is drowning in her bathtub. Fearing that Mi-Ra is suicidal, Ruth enlists the help of Paul, a co-worker of hers at her health-monitoring tech company, BabyTek, to help her surveil Mi-Ra’s vital signs without her knowing. Through this secretive process, the two begin to uncover the nature of Mi-Ra’s grief and their own past experiences with death. Soon, a dark, ancient evil begins to call out not just to Mi-Ra, but to Ruth and Paul as well: the folkloric monster figure SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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of grief, La Llorona. Romasanta’s novel is a slow burn. The prologue successfully offers readers a terrifying (but fleeting) glimpse of La Llorona, placing it in a long lineage of monsters that appear globally, affecting those who are experiencing the pain of grief. But the novel takes the first 100 pages to approach those levels of horror again, with occasionally overwhelming degrees of internal exposition and rehashes of what feels like the same fights between Ruth and Mi-Ra. When Romasanta focuses on the horror aspects, she does so exceptionally well, with a chilling understanding of suspense and fear. A fresh and terrifying vision of the malignant undercurrents of grief and family.

Becoming the Ocean Russ, Erin | Twenty Fourteen Press (258 pp.) $19.99 paper | September 16, 2026 9798996274642

A woman reflects on her relationship and the pressures of sailing a boat across thousands of miles of sea. In her debut memoir, Russ interweaves memories of her childhood with an account of her relationship with her partner of 13 years. Brian, who was initially just a friend, had everything that the author coveted and did not yet have herself: confidence, sureness, and capability. When they transitioned to a romantic relationship, Russ leaned heavily on Brian’s affirmations and physical presence, and when he proposed both marriage and a new life on a sailing vessel, the author couldn’t help but agree. But something inside her constantly pulled her back, just a little bit—a desire to stay grounded, to stand up for her own wants, and to find out what those wants even were. The author needed to know who she was apart from her marriage to Brian and their nomadic life on the waves. She was also guarding a guilty secret: “I wanted to tell him I didn’t deserve him, and I probably never 146

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had.” As Russ recalls arguments, friendships, and wonder-filled encounters with marine life and people around the world, she simultaneously chronicles her gradual but steady buckling under her own whirlpool of thoughts. In this telling—the pace of the narrative is measured and slow—the author always seems to know the truth behind her silences and hesitations, and the decisions she felt compelled to make but ultimately regretted. As Russ continues to unpack the dilemmas that carried on despite her self-awareness, readers may grow frustrated by her lack of action or attempts to change. Still, the memoir is a moving testament to self-empathy during periods of stagnation and seeming hopelessness—Russ reassures readers that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, one that the author, with no lack of struggle, reaches with a clarity and confidence of her own. A memoir that looks upon the self’s journey with tender attention and generous care.

Dear T.L.: A Love Story of the American Revolution Sater, Terry R. | Liberty Song Publishing (340 pp.) | $32.95 | May 5, 2026 9798995206026

Sater’s historical novel, based on a true story, chronicles the American Revolution as experienced by a young Massachusetts Minuteman. Samuel Benjamin joins the Watertown Minutemen, fired up by a passionate desire for liberty. In April 1775, he’s summoned to battle after the first shots of the Revolution are fired in Lexington. So begins Sater’s detailed narrative of love, war, and sacrifice (with a substantial amount of Christian theology thrown into the mix), inspired by the real lives of Sater’s fourth-great-­ grandparents: Samuel Benjamin and the love of his life, Tabitha Livermore. The author combines historical records, entries from Samuel’s actual diary, and his own

imagination to re-create the travails and heroism of the Continental Army under the command of George Washington. Samuel and Tabitha’s love story is told primarily through the (fictional) passionate letters they write to one another during their years of separation. As Samuel goes from battlefield to battlefield, encountering historical notables including Benedict Arnold, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, Tabitha engages in homefront efforts toward the cause. The author places readers in the daily reality of the Continental Army, which is characterized by illness, frigid campgrounds, and scarcity of food and supplies. While the Samuel/Tabitha romance adds a welcome and poignant (if a tad saccharine) touch to a narrative that details the tragic violence of war, the numerous religious devotionals occasionally slow the pace of the generally high-­ action novel. Sater is at his best when describing the minute details that are often overlooked in historical novels, such as the step-by-step procedures for preparing a musket for firing, or the methods by which troops meticulously manufactured their own ammunition. Every so often, a surprisingly intriguing tidbit of colonial trivia pops up: When the troops are marching in Massachusetts, Sater writes, “the soldiers would know how far they had to march to get to the next town, thanks to Benjamin Franklin’s stone mile markers he’d placed decades earlier when he became Postmaster for the colonies.” A historically rich and emotionally affecting Revolutionary War narrative.

In the Light of the Sun Shupe, Angela | WaterBrook (384 pp.) | $18 paper | October 7, 2025 | 9780593601938

Sisters endure World War II while on separate continents in Shupe’s novel. In December 1941, Rosa is living in Florence with her Nonna (her father’s mother) and studying under the K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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An approachable, well-researched primer on essential minerals. YO U R L A B S A R E F I N E . YO U ’ R E N O T.

Maestro to become an opera singer. She loves singing and hopes that in a few years, her youngest sister, Caramina, will be able to join her. Meanwhile, Caramina, who mostly goes by Cara, is living in the Philippines, where their mother is from and where both girls were born. Nonna has promised Cara that she’ll be able to come to Italy when she turns 16, but Cara, who’s about to turn 14, is still too young. But then, on Cara’s 14th birthday, Japan bombs the Philippines, and war comes to their island. In Italy, Rosa has no idea whether her younger siblings are safe or not. She’s also worried about her and her grandmother’s own safety at home as Mussolini’s power grows. And there’s even the insinuation that her grandmother might be conspiring against the government with the Maestro. In both countries, the girls struggle with their mixed Italian and Filipino heritage. Shupe weaves a thoughtful and heartfelt exploration of some unheralded aspects of World War II, pulling from the lived experiences of her mother, aunts, and grandmother. Clearly carefully researched, Shupe’s book does an excellent job of portraying what the WWII era was like in both the Philippines and Italy and the hardships suffered by the citizens of both countries. Music and food provide levity throughout the novel, balancing out the serious wartime events and helping the girls endure. At one point, while watching their house shake from nearby bombings, Cara sings for her family and neighbors even though her voice is sore from illness. In another part, Rosa discusses how lucky they are to still have meat available, and she notes that the cake was so good that everyone had two slices. By pulling from her K IR KU S R E V IE W S

family history, Shupe is able to create characters who feel real and complex, resulting in a rivetingly human story.

A touching historical tale about sisterhood, music, and survival during World War II.

Your Labs Are Fine. You’re Not: Understanding the Mineral Deficiencies Your Doctor Can’t See Stephenson-Laws, Joy | Self (316 pp.) | $49.99 paper | March 4, 2026 | 9798993974064

A health and wellness expert discusses the role of minerals in holistic well-being in this guidebook. Per Stephenson-­ Laws, millions of people live in “the gap between ‘normal’ and ‘optimal’” and find themselves frustrated by health care professionals who can’t explain their vague array of symptoms, including achiness, fatigue, and frequent anxiety. While medical testing results may come back “fine,” the author suggests that mineral deficiencies—which can go undetected on standard blood panels— may lie at the root of undiagnosed chronic symptoms. At the heart of this work, which emphasizes the importance of optimizing essential mineral intake, are three “core truths”: Physical symptoms, no matter how seemingly minor, should not be ignored; mineral deficiencies can often be fixed by changes in diet (or, when necessary, by supplements); and taking even small steps toward regulation is better than not acting. The volume’s 18 chapters are divided into four parts, beginning with a thorough discussion of the “Foundation” of minerals. These

chapters include a primer on essential minerals (most of which can be ingested via the consumption of specific vegetables, legumes, and seafood) along with personalized assessments and rubrics for doctor visits to aid readers beginning their journey of mineral regulation. Part two explores the role of minerals in bodily functions, with a particular emphasis on minerals’ effects on the nervous and digestive systems. Part three provides chapter-length overviews of the connections between minerals and a host of common symptoms ranging from sleeping- and energy-related problems to hair, nail, and skin issues (hair loss, for instance, is often linked to iron and zinc deficiencies). The final section, titled “Making It Work,” offers pragmatic tips for incorporating knowledge of minerals into one’s daily routine, such as advice on taking supplements and troubleshooting side effects. As a practical workbook, the text provides ample ancillary materials across its appendices, including a glossary, reference guides that summarize essential minerals and recap the mineral profiles of nutritionally dense foods, and an overview of the specific prescription medicines that may lead to mineral deficiencies. A health care attorney, wellness coach, and founder of the nonprofit Proactive Health Labs, Stephenson-Laws draws on her upbringing in Jamaica, where she learned at an early age about the intimate connection between food and well-being. A well-­ researched work supported by nearly 100 endnotes, the book is grounded in contemporary science. The author has written multiple works on medical self-empowerment and mineral health; she conveys her expertise via an accessible writing style that’s geared toward readers with little to no medical knowledge. While Stephenson-Laws consistently emphasizes, in no uncertain terms, the central role that minerals play in holistic well-being, she is nonjudgmental, encouraging readers to take baby steps in their personal journeys while noting the positive impact that even small, consistent routines can have. The book’s accessibility to readers of all backgrounds is reflected in the wealth of color-coded charts and tables and specific guides (or reading SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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“modes”) tailored to those at different stages of their health care journeys, ranging from “I’m barely functioning” to “I’m functional and ready to go deeper.” An approachable, well-researched primer on essential minerals.

Eat the Wind: Travels With Dictators, Mercenaries and Queens Wake, Dan | Torchflame Books (316 pp.) $19.99 paper | September 15, 2026 9781611536416

This travel memoir offers a glimpse into major political events in the 1970s and 80s. The young Wake didn’t travel much as one of nine children, but when opportunities arose in college, he made the most of them. Many years after the travels took place, Wake brings readers the tale of his travels around the world starting in 1976, when he had his first hitchhiking adventure to Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National Parks. Throughout the years, he was present for Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in London, traveled around post-Mao China shortly after it had opened up to tourists, and visited the Philippines during the “snap election” between Ferdinand Marcos and Cory Aquino. Aside from that, he visited the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador, spent a Christmas in Thailand, celebrated the first night of Ramadan in Indonesia, and camped on the beach in Greece. Wake includes everything you could want in a travel memoir: glimpses into many different geographic places and cultural differences, a narrator who makes connections with people in the places he travels to, and a healthy dose of good luck that allows him to be in significant places during their most memorable historical moments. While hinting at other adventures, this memoir is focused on the travels that brought the author to significant political events around the world, often by chance. Wake presents a unique blend of optimism, deification 148

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gratification, a strong belief in self-ability, and “being blessed by glorious serendipity” that brought him to each place at just the right time: “The best discoveries, the deepest mysteries, and the most memorable adventures always come from the people I meet while getting to and from the must-see sites.” Wake delves into each adventure in its fullest, learning languages, meeting people, participating in local cultural events, and creating memories to last a lifetime. A captivating memoir that showcases the magic of people and connections made around the world.

Red White and Blue Land: One Good Life: The Plays Warburg, Richard | Self (200 pp.) | $24.99 February 17, 2026 | 9798248651412

Warburg presents a highly charged drama of a broken Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and his activist victim. Recent ICE crackdowns, such as the one in Minneapolis in early 2026, have led to the deaths of multiple people, including poet Renée Good. In this compelling work, the author fictionalizes such a killing as a tragedy in blank verse. It’s an outcome driven by the shadows haunting ICE agent Cole Brant, whose military enlistment after the 9/11 terrorist attacks desensitized him to American atrocities in Iraq. Cole responds to his eroding humanity by placing “every horror in the box— / The guilt, the grief, the faces of the dead. / …. / But boxes have their limits.” The results leave Cole feeling like a machine “who could kill without remorse, / Who could do the job and walk away unmoved.” Essentially, the die is cast long before Cole stalks and shoots his victim, Grace Parr, who aims to document his activities from the illusory safety of her SUV. The resulting outcry will change perceptions of them both in unimaginable ways. The author most memorably unfolds this story via a series of interludes featuring ghosts who serve

up acerbic commentary on previous developments (“The training took over. The training always does”) and a series of increasingly uneasy questions that they ask together: “Who is guilty? / And who is innocent? / And is there anyone who can claim / Clean hands in this machinery of death?” Such queries ring out powerfully, as do the book’s relevant concerns about abuses of power. Warburg adeptly weaves this narrative into the greater point that Grace’s death raises: whether redemption is realistic for someone who commits such a heinous act. The struggle to answer this question proves haunting for all concerned, including Grace’s surviving partner, Maya (“I thought that I would feel something immense, / Triumph, perhaps”). A searing indictment of ICE sweeps, boldly recast as poetry.

Smoke Rings: A Scruffy City Novel West, R. Scott | Scruffy City Publishing (404 pp.) | $14.99 paper | July 6, 2026 9798995811602

West’s old-school family crime dramedy set in the American South follows the moonshining and drug-dealing exploits of two families. In Haze Holler, Tennessee, Clementine and Penelope Wynn are the adult daughters of a disgraced, now-deceased U.S. congressman, and Huck and Tommy West are the adult grandsons of one of the greatest moonshiners the South has ever known. The two families come from vastly different worlds, but their patriarchs grew up close friends. The West brothers adventured through the wilds of the Southeast, rafting and canyoning in their youth, while the Wynns went to boarding school in Germany. When Clementine and Penelope return to America as young women to find their family fortune gone and their father dying, they turn to the West brothers for help. Huck and Tommy don’t have much business acumen, but K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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Huck is smart as a whip, if a little naïve, and Tommy has the street smarts and hustle they need to rustle up a good cash flow; the Wynns, meanwhile, have the financial connections to hide money in untraceable European bank accounts. West’s novel mostly follows the boys as they bounce from moonshine to marijuana to ecstasy, getting deeper into the drug trade and its various dangers and temptations. The chapters are interspersed with original songs by West that effectively detail the emotional landscapes of the various characters as they fall in love and pursue wild lives of crime: “They said I was nothin’ but trouble, / And that you were everything good, / And it was just as easy to fall for a nice rich boy, / As a poor one wild as the woods.” But although the story is fast-paced and entertaining, with exciting and very funny moments, it often feels as if the characters fail to mature with the plot. Still, West manages to depict various communities and environments with a care and humor that’s undeniably engaging. The overall good-old-boy premise is fun enough that readers can easily ignore the fact that they’ve probably encountered something similar a few times before. An enjoyable tale of wild and dangerous youth.

Oil Courses Williams-Noren, Carolyn | The Kent State University Press (84 pp.) | $18.95 paper September 8, 2026 | 9781606355114

Williams-Noren’s poetry collection presents a climate-­ conscious lyrical narrative that blends interpersonal relationships with humanity’s collective tragedy. In every elegy, there’s an aspect of insufficiency—an inability of the words to capture the essence of the grief they’re attempting to process. Every contemporary instance of climate poetry may well be an elegy for humankind’s relationship to the Earth, and this collection takes insufficiency of language, of art, and of learning to express that idea as one of its major themes. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Williams-Noren writes these poems from the perspective of a speaker who reminisces about life with a father who worked in the oil industry; as such, the speaker grieves for the innocence of childhood and for the industry’s toll on the environment. Williams-Noren’s elegiac approach is mirrored in the poems’ insights into humans’ relationship to the natural world, and the speaker’s familial ties to fossil fuel only heighten the tension. For instance, in “Theory [Now],” the speaker says, “When I was very small I asked my dad whether he / knew everything, and when he said he didn’t, / I didn’t believe him.” Later, the speaker complicates this common sentiment when discussing an article about a common chemical that’s been discovered to be hazardous—one that triggers memories of “gallons of solvents stocked in the warehouse— / sandy orange, luminous green, clear and thin as water.” This poem is a clear example that effectively demonstrates the strength of the collection as a whole, as the works all contribute to a compelling narrative—one in which the final images portray each piece’s central concern with tactful subtlety. Storytelling seems to be the dominant force in these poems, which may deter readers who prefer poetry that focuses more on the art form’s sonic elements, but the poem’s images and line breaks ably demonstrate the poet’s deliberate care and attention. Vulnerable, empathetic, and imagistic poems that make for a compelling read.

The Business of Storytelling: Inspire Action, Build Trust, and Drive Results Through Story Yaeger, Don | ForbesBooks (240 pp.) | $29.99 September 15, 2026 | 9798887509334

A bestselling author explores the eternal lure of story­ telling in this nonfiction book. Yaeger has authored or co-authored more than a dozen New York Times bestsellers, including history

books about pirates and famous battles, and autobiographies of such sports legends as Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton and UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. In this volume, the writer and longtime associate editor of Sports Illustrated shares his perspective on what is perhaps the most ubiquitous and ancient of all art forms: storytelling. The book blends memoir­ istic vignettes—from lessons in oratory learned from his father, a preacher, to his interactions with a host of charismatic superstars—with pragmatic advice on how to tell an enthralling tale. The book is built on the premise that storytelling is a skill to be honed, not an innate gift, and Yaeger shares observations on how such luminaries as Martin Luther King Jr. and Steven Spielberg have worked hard at the craft of creating very different kinds of compelling narratives. The sweeping opening chapters center on the “Foundations of Storytelling,” providing readers with the “Universal Truths” of the skill. “The story behind the story,” the author writes, “is the story”—that is, describing why and how something happened is more important than merely describing what happened. The book’s midsection turns to key elements of telling tales, with chapter-length explorations of such topics as knowing one’s audience, effectively using specific detail, and crafting effective opening and closing lines. The final section consists of useful appendix material, including examples of how the author applies his advice to his own work, as well as a lengthy section that addresses common concerns among newcomers to the craft. Over the course of this book, Yaeger makes a convincing case that honing one’s narrative skills, in the manner laid out in this book, can generally strengthen one’s writing career, and even one’s personal relationships, by strengthening communication. As one might expect, he employs an engaging writing style throughout this volume, offering readers not only personal anecdotes, but also a wealth of useful tips. An entertaining yet sensible ode to the power of narrative. SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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JENNIFER DOWELL

AUTHORS ARE OFTEN the natural choice for narrating their own memoirs; their personal connection and the intimacy of the listening experience make up for any lack of professional polish. But what about authors performing fiction or narrative nonfiction? Writing and narrating are two very different skills, after all—but some authors successfully bridge the gap, leveraging their understanding of their characters and material to create a winning audiobook. Jon Lindstrom is a professional narrator, and he has performed audiobooks by Alex Finlay, Blake Crouch, Riley Sager, and more. But, as our review of Hollywood Payback (Spotify Audiobooks, April 14) notes, “with this, his second novel after Hollywood Hustle (2024), he proves he can write them as well as he can perform them.” Lindstrom effortlessly gets into his protagonist’s head in this noir thriller, in which an ex-actor recently released from prison must 150 SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

figure out who’s trying to frame him for murder. Eddie Huang has narrated two memoirs, Fresh Off the Boat (2013) and Double Cup Love (2016), and in his first novel, Come Undone (Random House Audio, June 16), he dives into the fictional life of 38-year-old Hubie Chang, a television star looking for intimacy and meaning in his life. According to our review, “His performance feels honest and uncompromising; rather than encouraging listeners to empathize with Hubie on any superficial level, Huang’s narration presents Hubie as a fully formed person, deepening listeners’ connection to this complicated character.” Ruth Ozeki is another author who has experience narrating her own work, including A Tale for the Time Being (2013), which garnered an Earphones Award. Jeff Ebner, George Newbern, and Akie Kotabe all narrate stories in her new collection, The

Typing Lady: And Other Fictions (Penguin Audio, June 2), but Ozeki narrates the majority of them herself, and our review points to her “relaxed pace, with varying tonal touches, from placid to biting, tailored to the content of each story.” As Patrick Radden Keefe investigates the apparent suicide of 19-year-old Zac Brettler in London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth (Random House Audio, April 7), our review calls out his compassion as key to the audiobook performance: “His tone has a comforting intimacy that helps listeners understand how he convinced Brettler’s grieving parents, who were driven by heartache and the inaction of London police, to give him years of interviews.” Audible empathy also enhances the listening experience in Louise Brangan’s history, The Fallen: The Lost Girls of

Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries and a Legacy of Silence (Simon & Schuster Audio, May 5), which follows the experiences of several women. As our review notes, “Her tone becomes subtly harsher when recounting the stories of those who looked the other way while the Church continued to imprison women and girls in plain sight.” And narrating Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War (Tantor Media, July 7), her history of Paris’ luxurious Hotel Lutetia before and during the WWII German occupation, author Jane Rogoyska is “as assured, as nuanced, and as captivating as any seasoned professional,” according to our review. Her commanding voice is “perfectly attuned to her narrative,” enhancing an already engrossing historical reconstruction. Jennifer Dowell is the audiobooks editor. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Illustration by Eric Scot t Ander son

READ BY THE AUTHOR

AUDIOBOOKS

EDITOR’S PICK Whitehead concludes his Harlem Trilogy with Dion Graham once again performing the audiobook version, and what a finale it is. Listening to Graham’s rich voice is a lot like watching an outstanding dance: He creates convincing voices for his characters, maintains a pace that builds a strong foundational rhythm, and imbues his tone with such personality that the story leaps from the headphones. Protagonist Ray

Carney’s experiences as both a respectable furniture store owner and criminal middleman are revealed to us with a skill that is impossible to resist. Action and dialogue crackle with intensity, and Whitehead’s philosophical moments are given their own space to land. The result is absorbing. Graham’s performance delivers high energy in an appealingly resonant voice perfectly suited to Whitehead’s gripping prose.

Cool Machine Whitehead, Colson | Read by Dion Graham Random House Audio | 12 hrs, 22 mins $25 | July 21, 2026 | 9798217340255 Series: The Harlem Trilogy, 3

Kirkus awards Earphones to truly exceptional presentations that excel in the following criteria: narrative voice and style, vocal characterizations, appropriateness for the audio format, and enhancement of the text.

These Titles Earned the Earphones Award

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Wombat Waiting By Katherine Applegate; read by Mara Wilson What If You Could By Jacinda Ardern; adapt. by Ruby Shamir; read by Jacinda Ardern

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Mortedant’s Peril By RJ Barker; read by Joe Eyre

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The Great Game By Arvind Ethan David; read by Sanjeev Bhaskar Lost and Found By Tarah DeWitt; read by Adam Gold, Samantha Brentmoor & Tarah DeWitt

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Into the Wood Chipper By Nicholas Enrich; read by Nicholas Enrich

Father Material By Alexis Hall; read by Joe Jameson Firesnake By Donna Barba Higuera; read by Frankie Corzo

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The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue By Zoulfa Katouh; read by Victoria Nassif

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Shades of Forever By Chris Kluwe; read by Tess Irondale

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Score By Kennedy Ryan; read by Wesleigh Siobhan, Winston James & Nicole Small

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Voice-A-Versa By Billy West; read by Billy West

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Cool Machine By Colson Whitehead; read by Dion Graham

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Green City Wars By Adrian Tchaikovsky; read by John Pirhalla

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Earphones Award

Wombat Waiting Applegate, Katherine | Read by Mara Wilson | Harper Audio | 2 hrs, 11 mins $16.79 | May 5, 2026 | 9780063221208

Mara Wilson brings her acting chops to her narration of this middle-grade novel about a stray dog and a frightened boy searching for each other. Following a devastating fire, Wombat the dog, who is afraid of humans, follows her intuition to find the one human waiting for her. Henry, frightened of dogs, finds his way to a family shelter where Wombat awaits. Can Wombat help Henry conquer his fears of dogs, fire, and insecurity? Wilson tackles tough emotions like fear, loss, grief, and uncertainty in a comforting, inviting tone, whether she’s voicing Wombat or Henry. Even the darkest moments hold notes of hope and encouragement. Wilson has listeners rooting for two lost souls, dog and human, to find each other amid great loss. (Verse fiction. 8-12)

Earphones Award

What If You Could Ardern, Jacinda | Adapt. by Ruby Shamir Read by Jacinda Ardern | Listening Library 5 hrs, 55 mins | $20 | June 2, 2026 9798217342044

Aspiring leaders, take note! In her Kiwi accent, Jacinda Ardern narrates this heartfelt and sincere adaptation of her memoir A Different Kind of Power, eliciting chuckles with amusing anecdotes and tears over tragedies. Ardern recounts her modest childhood, her unlikely path to politics, and her rise to New Zealand’s highest office as a young, pregnant, unmarried woman—armed with empathy, intelligence, faith, supportive loved ones, and a desire to serve. She shepherded her country through a 152 SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

volcanic eruption, Covid-19, and a mass shooting. Her heartrending narration of the shooting switches to steely resolve as she works to ban assault rifles. Listeners will be inspired by this principled prime minister who tackled her country’s biggest challenges with kindness. (Memoir. 12-18)

The Fire Agent Baerwald, David | Read by David Baerwald Spotify Audiobooks | 19 hrs, 32 mins $34.49 | June 2, 2026 | 9798318227530

Prepare for an emotional roller coaster as Baerwald brings listeners an extraordinary piece of history loosely based on the life of his grandfather, Ernst Baerwald. An amazing adventure story unfolds covering two continents, immoral businessmen, two world wars, and stunning revelations of government malfeasance. We enter a world where corruption is the norm, and while characters may be fictionalized, many of the events related are historically accurate and entirely shocking. Baerwald delivers a well-written, well-performed thrill ride filled with flesh-and-blood characters—assassins and lovers, scientists and spies, diplomats and bureaucrats— while at the same time presenting the humanity inherent in those whose principles keep them working for good. Baerwald’s strong baritone and intense storytelling in this massive historical fiction engage, excite, and educate.

Five Bannister, Ilona | Read by Clare Corbett, George Naylor, Juliet Stevenson, Kristin Atherton, Marlowe Chan-Reeves & Theo Solomon | Random House Audio | 8 hrs, 8 mins | $22 | May 5, 2026 | 9798217175116

Despite a few missteps, this full-cast pro­duction offers a thrilling take. The next train to London will arrive in five minutes, and one of the five people

standing on the platform will die. As the minutes tick down, the narrative veers off to describe the backstory of each of the potential victims, which include a struggling mother, an impatient businessman, and a gambler contemplating suicide. Kristin Atherton is a perfectly adequate guide to all this, heightening the suspense with her pacing. Theo Solomon is fine as Sonny, the gambler, but seriously misfires as Sonny’s parents, especially his mother, whose accent is a jumbled mess. Juliet Stevenson’s performance as Mrs. Worth, a formidable older woman, is a standout. But George Naylor seems miscast as Liam, the businessman: too young and sophisticated for a middle-aged character described as a coarse bruiser. Still, as a whole, this is a must-listen: urgent, suspenseful, and smart.

Earphones Award

Mortedant’s Peril Barker, RJ | Read by Joe Eyre | Macmillan Audio | 16 hrs, 11 mins | $34.64 May 19, 2026 | 9781250455390 Series: The Trials of Irody Hasp, 1

The gods might be sleeping in this vibrant fantasy novel, but Joe Eyre keeps listeners wide awake with an electric performance. As a mortedant, Irody Hasp reads dead people’s thoughts. When a simple job turns deadly, however, Hasp gets accused of murder and must work quickly to avoid the gallows. As he hunts down the real killer alongside his spunky new apprentice and a giant warrior guard, he soon unveils a larger and more sinister plot. The poor of the lower levels of the tiered city are threatened, and Hasp and his newfound friends must thwart the bad guys before the gods awaken. Hasp’s world is equally odd and engaging, and Eyre explores every inch, providing various voices to round out an eclectic group of characters.

A classic murder mystery with a fantasy bent, enhanced by a perfectly entrancing narration.

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AUDIOBOOKS

An absurd yet heartwarming debut. VOYAG E R S

A Way Home: A Memoir of Losing Yourself, and the Beauty of Returning Barnes, Cinelle | Read by Cinelle Barnes Brilliance Audio | 8 hrs | $42.99 June 9, 2026 | 9781511388634

Barnes performs her third work of nonfiction, chronicling her experience returning to the Philippines for the first time in 20 years. As she was working on her manuscript, Barnes experienced a traumatic brain injury. After brain surgery and months of recovery, she returned to her memoir determined to finish it. Interspersed with her travel writing, she shares snippets about her recovery as she works to regain all the skills she lost. Barnes’ narration is slow and intentional. Her clear diction carefully draws the listener into her story, and her voice is emotional as she returns to Manila and relives childhood memories. Barnes’ performance highlights her resilience and determination.

The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy Campbell, Matthew | Read by Nicholas Boulton | Penguin Audio | 10 hrs, 34 mins $23 | June 2, 2026 | 9798217336876

This well-­ researched, welltold history of the theft of Cambodia’s ancient art and the desecration of its magnificent temples enrages even as it fascinates and holds listeners in suspense K IR KU S R E V IE W S

in ways that only true-crime stories can. With his British accent, versatile narrator Nicholas Boulton proves the perfect match as Campbell details how, in the years after the horrors of Cambodia’s killing fields, an art dealer sold the pieces both to private collectors and to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then, cat-and-mouse style, evaded a manhunt. Boulton is a graceful and polished performer, and his narration is nicely attuned to a history that reveals many ironies and its own brand of justice. Sad as this story is, it’s hard to stop listening.

Voyagers Charlton, Meg | Read by Michael Crouch Harper Audio | 10 hrs, 48 mins | $30.44 June 16, 2026 | 9780063441262

On the precipice of an extraterrestrial invasion of earth, who would you call? How about your estranged childhood best friend, with whom you survived an alien abduction? Narrator Michael Crouch dryly voices Alex, who, nearing middle age, finds himself haunted by the otherworldly disappearance he experienced with Ana when they were both 7 years old. After years of discombobulating childhood fame, his relationship with his confidant and co-traveler in the cosmos, Ana, is fractured, leaving Alex to spend most of his adult life alone. Crouch narrates with a fascinating mixture of grandiosity and self-­ deprecation that’s entirely appropriate, and even delightful. His confident tenor elevates the supernatural subject matter. An absurd yet heartwarming debut for true believers and anyone who has ever felt comforted by the idea that we are not alone.

A River Red With Blood Connolly, John | Read by Jeff Harding Simon & Schuster Audio | 12 hrs, 41 mins $28.34 | June 2, 2026 | 9781668124970

In this 12th novel about private detective Charlie Parker, narrator Jeff Harding successfully juggles more than a dozen characters involved in investigating—or committing—multiple murders and kidnappings of children, while spirits from the afterlife make occasional appearances. With so many characters, it might be easy to get lost, but Harding differentiates each one enough that the novel is easy to follow. The villains are truly terrible people who commit horrific crimes for pure evil enjoyment. The setting is a school for troubled youth in the wilds of the Kennebec Valley in Maine, where no one can be trusted and nothing is what it seems. An exciting murder mystery tinged with the supernatural.

Anxietyland Correll, Gemma | Read by Shakira Shute Simon & Schuster Audio | 3 hrs, 28 mins $15.74 | April 28, 2026 | 9781668105825

Shakira Shute brilliantly performs cartoonist Correll’s often all-­ encompassing anxiety in this graphic memoir. Listeners are presented with the hypervigilant thoughts that consume Correll in a way that’s both humorous and relatable. In a British accent, Shute effectively channels the author’s signature wit as well as her deeply personal struggles, helping listeners to understand Correll’s panic disorder. Even as it’s an honest look at what it’s like to have severe anxiety coupled with depression, Anxiety­ land is an entertaining, playful, and inviting listen that offers comfort to SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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anyone familiar with an anxious internal world.

Shute’s empathetic narration proves she’s just the right fit for this audiobook.

World’s Okayest Oracle (Reluctantly) Seeks Demon Dade, Olivia | Read by Joy Nash Penguin Audio | 13 hrs, 53 mins $24 | August 11, 2026 | 9798217336463

Narrator Joy Nash taps into the vulnerability that oracle Gwen Wexloff feels as she seeks out Hugh Blacke, the demon who witnessed her failure years ago. After a zombie containment issue that points to a fae/human conspiracy, Hugh is the only powerful councillor who might help Gwen and her friends. Hugh’s careful, rule-­ abiding nature comes across clearly in Nash’s narration, his boundaries a foil to Gwen’s open manner. Gwen and Hugh’s voices convey both sincerity and respect as they move toward romance. Secondary characters, including fae and vampires, have unique, sometimes hilarious voices, as in the case of the troll siblings, who are the highlight of the audiobook. Dade’s sequel to Zomromcom features a consistent, versatile narration from Nash.

Earphones Award

The Great Game David, Arvind Ethan | Read by Sanjeev Bhaskar | Brilliance Audio | 8 hrs | $35.99 July 14, 2026 | 9781511388740

Sanjeev Bhaskar makes wonderful work of this brilliant, funny, and thought-­ provoking thriller. What happens when you mix those classics of 154 SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

Historical fiction at its very best. T H E G R E AT G A M E

Edwardian fiction, Sherlock Holmes and A.J. Raffles, with a mysterious character from the African jungle and recast the story’s narrator as law student Balvinder Singh? Add Winston Churchill to the mix, along with spirited suffragette Maud Adler, and you have the perfect cocktail of narrative delight, brought effortlessly to life by Bhaskar. Set in 1905, the high-water mark of the Edwardian empire, the story centers on the discovery of a grisly murder, which leads to the uncovering of a fiendish plot to attack British society. But which side will Singh be on? An absorbing and exciting listen, and historical fiction at its very best.

Roxie in Color Debrovner, Diane & Stacy Cervenka Read by Aria Mia Loberti & Jeff Ebner Listening Library | 7 hrs, 41 mins | $23 June 2, 2026 | 9798217412556

Aria Mia Loberti masters the voice of seventh grader Roxie, expressing the jumble of emotions she feels as she struggles to fit in and find acceptance as her unique self. She was bullied at her old school because her parents are blind. Will a fresh start in a new town lead to friends who will see Roxie for who she is? Loberti also gives supporting characters unique voices. She conveys little brother Theo’s excitement, classmate Quinn’s superior attitude, and the wisdom of Charlie, a boy who also has blind parents. Jeff Ebner is outstanding as Nash, Penny’s guide dog, narrating chapters from his perspective and expressing his patience and insight.

This powerful story will stay with listeners long after the last word has been spoken. (Fiction. 9-13)

Earphones Award

Lost and Found DeWitt, Tarah | Read by Adam Gold, Samantha Brentmoor & Tarah DeWitt Macmillan Audio | 10 hrs, 33 mins $26.99 | August 4, 2026 | 9781250445902 Series: Spunes, 3

Samantha Brentmoor and Adam Gold give emotional performances in this powerful and touching romance set in the small town of Spunes, Oregon. When Bea’s best friend, Merritt, dies of cancer, she leaves her eggs behind for Bea. Making a life-altering decision to cherish a piece of Merritt forever, Bea decides to go on an IVF journey and finds comfort, support, and love from her friend Silas Byrd. Brentmoor’s heartfelt, genuine narration perfectly portrays Bea’s grief and her dedication to finding her own path to happiness. Gold’s warm, nuanced timbre conveys Silas’ persistent devotion to being the man Bea needs. Both narrators create an undeniable it’s-always-been-you chemistry that leaves a lasting impression.

Murder Mindfully Dusse, Karsten | Trans. by Florian Duijsens Read by L.J. Ganser | Recorded Books Inc. 8 hrs, 46 mins | $22.04 | April 14, 2026 9798899745805 | Series: Murder Mindfully, 1

In this German dark comedy, the first in a series, the principles of “living mindfully” are applied to murder, which becomes the way to save a marriage, K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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rekindle fatherhood, and make a career shift. L.J. Ganser skillfully portrays Björn, a stressed-out criminal attorney whose life is consumed by a psychopathic client and his ganglike associates. Björn engages a mind­ fulness counselor to change his life. Ganser’s deadpan delivery tempers the outrageous, gruesome, and bizarre series of events that follows. With excellent comedic timing, Ganser clearly distinguishes among the maniacal characters. This quirky mystery, filled with satirical humor, is performed with wit and flawless pacing.

If Books Could Kill Eberle, Kate | Read by Alex Finke Penguin Audio | 11 hrs, 57 mins $23 | July 21, 2026 | 9798217338856

Narrator Alex Finke perfectly delivers the blend of sarcasm and dark humor in this tale of alternate worlds and fictional nightmares. With a slip of the tongue, Roxie Mitchell unintentionally wishes to become the heroine of her favorite romance author’s next book—unaware that it’s a crime novel. As Roxie finds herself escaping a murderer, stealing a car, and ending up in London to catch a serial killer, the hardest part is trying not to fall in love with the character of her dreams. Finke’s enthusiasm is infectious as she voices the cast of characters caught up in the adventure. Expressive narration and spot-on comedic timing make this audiobook a delight.

For more audiobooks narrated by Alex Finke, visit Kirkus online.

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Earphones Award

Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower’s Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID Enrich, Nicholas | Read by Nicholas Enrich Simon & Schuster Audio | 7 hrs, 28 mins $23.09 | April 14, 2026 | 9781668161968

Enrich narrates his audiobook with clarity and insight as only a true insider can. Enrich was a civil servant with years of federal experience, working for USAID. He notes that many people didn’t know the agency existed until the start of the second Trump administration. Enrich communicates the inception and accomplishments of USAID, which saved lives on a global level for decades, until Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency gutted the agency and demoralized the staff dedicated to its mission. Enrich delivers a master class on U.S. foreign policy and the shocking betrayal of our shared humanity. An essential document of our current political time.

All That’s Unseen: An Appalachian Memoir Hackney, Emilee | Read by Emilee Hackney Penguin Audio | 11 hrs, 16 mins | $22 July 28, 2026 | 9798217336685

Hackney’s southwest Virginia accent is essential to her powerful memoir of growing up in Appalachia and forging her own path. Raised in a Pentecostal Christian church where speaking in tongues and experiencing visions were part of the fundamentalist rituals, Hackney eventually broke away from an abusive partner. She pursued an education at Harvard, where she studied with renowned teachers and found her

own way among fellow students from vastly different backgrounds whose prospects differed greatly from her own. Her oppressive first relationship is frustrating to hear about, and her ultimate academic success is riveting. A memoir that’s worth listening to.

Earphones Award

Father Material Hall, Alexis | Read by Joe Jameson Dreamscape | 16 hrs, 15 mins $32.54 | June 2, 2026 | 9798349101182 Series: London Calling, 3

Having narrated the first two installments in Hall’s series, it feels like Joe Jameson knows these characters inside out. Luc and Oliver are tiptoeing around the idea of becoming fathers, and it turns out that adopting a puppy has in no way prepared them for the reality of being foster parents to 14-year-old Jasmine. As Jas and Oliver clash, Luc is also trying to save his job after the earl who funded the charity he works for dies. Jameson is completely dialed in, whether he’s navigating fraught discussions between Luc and Oliver, voicing a resentful teenager, or exclaiming “Ruff!” as Spud the dog. His engrossing performance makes the case that audio is the best way to experience this series. Funny, emotional, and satisfying.

My Name Was Gerry Sass Hanssen, Tiffany | Read by Chris Henry Coffey, Jay Myers & Angel Pean Simon & Schuster Audio | 5 hrs, 37 mins $20.99 | May 12, 2026 | 9781668171684

Narrators Chris Henry Coffey as Gerry, Jay Myers as Father Dan, and Angel Pean as Early weave together a story of revenge, love, and legacy. Behind his cover as a radio station owner in 1986 SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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Iowa, Gerry is a hit man for the mob laundering money through his legitimate job. When he is executed, his daughter, Early, is determined to get revenge. The story is told from three points of view: Gerry in purgatory, watching the consequences of his decisions and the aftermath of his death; Early as she takes off in Gerry’s Mustang and does some serious self-reflection on her journey; and Father Dan, a Catholic priest who witnesses Gerry’s murder but doesn’t want to speak up. The narration perfectly matches the pacing, emotion, and depth of these unforgettable characters. This poignant novel will leave listeners contemplating guilt, family, and redemption.

Earphones Award

Firesnake Higuera, Donna Barba | Read by Frankie Corzo | Recorded Books Inc. | 9 hrs, 21 mins $22.04 | June 9, 2026 | 9798898851255 Series: Last Cuentista, 3

Frankie Corzo, who narrated the first two audiobooks in this SF trilogy, brings this finale to fans. Itzel is the granddaughter of Petra, who was introduced in The Last Cuentista (2021). Corzo expresses story-loving Itzel’s intelligence and curiosity as she grieves her mother’s death and worries about the limited resources on Sagan, her home planet. Corzo depicts Petra with an older-sounding voice, conveying her penchant for telling tales and tenderness toward her granddaughter. Corzo portrays their deepening feelings as both prepare to leave Sagan to return to Earth. Before this century-long journey, Itzel ingests a sleeping capsule imbued with her grandmother’s memories, further strengthening and deepening their bond. The satisfying conclusion reveals Itzel finding belonging and home and transforming into a storyteller. (Science fiction. 10-14)

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The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin’s Greatest Enemy Ireland, Josh | Read by Orlando Wells Penguin Audio | 12 hrs, 9 mins | $23 February 24, 2026 | 9798217076864

Orlando Wells narrates this detailed account of the 1940 assassination of the exiled Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky. Ireland’s work delves deep into the backgrounds of Trotsky and his assassin. We learn of their lives, their families, and those around them, such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo among many others, up to the moment Ramón Mercader swings the ice pick into Trotsky’s skull. There is also a short history of what befell them all afterward. Wells is appropriately and consistently expressive, and his pacing and pronunciation are clear and understandable. He opts not to use accents or imitate quoted voices, a strategy that works quite well.

Fascinating history, well told.

Poppy Montgomery Gets Even Jack, Gordon | Read by Elizabeth Wiley HighBridge | 10 hrs, 16 mins | $22.04 June 9, 2026 | 9781696623292

Narrator Elizabeth Wiley is perfectly matched to voice feisty 80-year-old Poppy Montgomery and her new friends from water aerobics class, Ginny and Max. This delightful, humorous crime novel highlights the vulnerability of older people to online scams that exploit their loneliness. When two women die under mysterious circumstances at the retirement home, Poppy commits to protecting Ginny, who is involved with a scheming boyfriend she met on a dating site for older people. Her well-meaning actions result in unexpected chaos. Wiley’s performance of the three friends

distinguishes their very different personalities, and she also masterfully portrays the male characters, both young and older. As the plot unfolds, friendships deepen and family relationships mature. A totally entertaining and heartfelt listening experience.

She Who Remains Karabash, Rene | Trans. by Izidora Angel Read by Jennifer Pickens | Blackstone Audio | 3 hrs, 5 mins | $17.96 May 19, 2026 | 9798228963382

In a low, lugubrious voice, Jennifer Pickens tells the story of Bekija, a young woman in a rustic village in Albania. Bekija’s life is governed by an obsolete but still binding legal code called the Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini, which demands blood feuds, the subjugation of women, and other archaic norms. In prose that is sometimes impactful and poetic and sometimes choppy and repetitive, the novel follows Bekija’s lesbian awakening, forced marriage, subsequent rejection by the groom for being “impure,” and her vow to become a sworn virgin. Pickens grasps the essence of Bekija, her courage, resilience, and sense of self, in this stream-of-consciousness literary novel.

Atmospheric, abstract, artistic, and oddly arresting.

Earphones Award

The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue Katouh, Zoulfa | Read by Victoria Nassif Hachette Audio | 11 hrs, 46 mins | $29.39 June 2, 2026 | 9781668657515

Victoria Nassif narrates this story of magic, grief, and racism. Syrian American Jihad Dabbagh enters a private school in her senior year K IR KU S R E V IE W S

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of high school, and she hopes to attend an art school for college. Her name and the hijab she wears make her the target of dangerous bullies. To cope, she draws in a magical sketchbook, telling the story of her deceased mother’s journey from Syria to the U.S. Nassif relates Jihad’s story beautifully, taking her from a shy, introverted teen to a strong Muslim woman willing to call out bullies for their behavior. Her Arabic pronunciations lend authenticity to this story, helping to bring Jihad’s world to life, and she’s equally adept with the pretentious accents of the privileged white students at the academy.

Nassif gives an emotional voice to survivors of bullying. (Fabulism. 14-18)

Earphones Award

Shades of Forever Kluwe, Chris | Read by Tess Irondale Podium Audio | 20 hrs, 10 mins | $32.95 June 30, 2026 | 9798347018314

Tess Irondale’s narration elevates this unique story about an otherworldly AI known as Box that arrives in a post-­ apocalyptic village. Sky is prepared to take over as memory keeper for his people when an armed force attacks. Irondale’s comedic voices are both hilarious and apt. Alongside the horror and comedy, characters call out LitRPG elements, and Irondale makes them feel oddly natural. She matches the narrative’s fun mix of philosophy and comedy while keeping the entire story an auditory joy. Her capable narration effortlessly shifts between witty jokes, over-the-top action, and surprisingly deep concepts.

Irondale’s range, combined with the thrilling action, make this genre-­ bending audiobook nearly nonstop fun. K IR KU S R E V IE W S

Irondale’s comedic voices are both hilarious and apt. SHADES OF FOREVER

A Pox on Fools: The True Believers, Grifters, and Cynics Who Convinced Us to Reject Vaccines Levenson, Thomas | Read by Mike Cooper Random House Audio | 3 hrs, 42 mins | $15 June 9, 2026 | 9798217286645

Levenson argues that present-day anti-­vaxxers like Robert Kennedy Jr. use historical arguments that may have had some validity when vaccines were first developed but have since been debunked and are now being recycled cynically. Mike Cooper’s energy and British accent ensure clear communication of the history and science behind the safe and effective vaccine system we have today. He occasionally employs a snarky tone that strikes just the right note as Levenson discusses Andrew Wakefield’s discredited beliefs about the link between vaccines and autism and Kennedy’s comparison of vaccines to genocide. Levenson takes on the philosophical question of individual rights and vaccine mandates but notes that state power is being used to prevent mandates that would ensure the health of all. Cooper proves a sure guide for Levenson’s argument for the critical importance of vaccines.

Storybook Ending Macdonald, Moira | Read by Kelli Tager Penguin Audio | 9 hrs, 19 mins | $22 May 27, 2026 | 9798217076895

Anyone who loves the magic of independent bookstores will find this sweet tale a lovely space to inhabit. Narrator

Kelli Tager adds to the allure with an appealing performance, portraying all the characters and their quirky traits with whip-smart timing. April leaves a note in a book she’s selling for the guy who works at the used book counter. But Westley is in a hurry that day and doesn’t conduct his due diligence for stray inserts. Laura, a widow and single mother, receives the note instead and thinks Westley has written it to her. Tager has fun with the hilarious cross-connections, and listeners will appreciate the book title easter eggs. Tager ably steers this tale to a satisfying and unexpected ending.

Liberty Street Marshall, Heather | Read by Alison Deon, Hailey Gillis & Heather Marshall | Random House Audio | 14 hrs, 18 mins | $26 June 16, 2026 | 9798217342778

This tour de force is narrated by the powerhouse trio of Alison Deon, Hailey Gillis, and author Marshall. Together, they bring to life a dual-timeline historical novel set in Toronto in 1961 and Huron County, Ontario, in 1996, with both storylines centering on violence against women. While wrestling with her own childhood trauma, detective Rachel Mackenzie investigates a woman’s body found in an unmarked grave. In 1961, reporter Emily Radcliff goes undercover to investigate Mercer Women’s Prison, and the assignment changes her life in unimaginable ways. All three narrators infuse their performances SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

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with emotional depth and impressive vocal range, bringing nuance to this rich and moving story. Exceptional narration creates a compelling and rewarding listening experience.

The Oxford Detective Society Martin, Faith | Read by Kristin Atherton Brilliance Audio | 9 hrs | $35.99 August 1, 2026 | 9781511389969 Series: Lyssa Moore Mysteries, 1

Kristin Atherton sounds like a full cast in this clever whodunit. A chilling prologue recounts the 1966 death of rock star “Monty” Montrose. Sixty years later, celebrity ghostwriter Lyssa Moore receives a commission to investigate Monty’s life and the questions surrounding her death. Lyssa interviews all those still alive who remember Monty, opening a convoluted can of worms. Since those interviewed are older, their memories are questionable. Finding herself in danger, Lyssa wonders if she’s taken on too much or whether she’s just being paranoid. Atherton is masterful delivering a wide range of voices and accents, keeping the large cast of possible suspects easily identifiable. Atherton’s deft performance speedily moves this mystery along toward its intense conclusion.

Mother Tongue: A Memoir Nović, Sara | Read by Lisa Flanagan Random House Audio | 7 hrs, 33 mins $20 | May 5, 2026 | 9780593556139

Novelist Nović turns to nonfiction in this insightful memoir of her deaf identity. As a kid, Nović struggled to 158 SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

Atherton sounds like a full cast in this clever whodunit. THE OXFORD DETECTIVE SOCIETY

accept her deafness. But as an adult, she embraces it, becomes f luent in ASL, and finds a deaf community. After she becomes a mother to two boys—one biological and hearing, one adopted and deaf—Nović begins to better understand what it means to pass along the deaf culture she has become a part of. Lisa Flanagan narrates with a sense of emotional depth and intimacy, connecting listeners with Nović’s story. As Flanagan reads sections of dialogue, listeners also hear the sound of Nović signing in ASL, creating a truly unique audio experience. Flanagan’s performance draws listeners into Nović’s memoir.

Trash!: A Garbageman’s Story Paré-Poupart, Simon | Trans. by Pablo Strauss | Read by Jean Brassard Blackstone Audio | 3 hrs, 10 mins | $17.96 June 16, 2026 | 9798228822962

Narrator Jean Brassard’s Quebecois accent brings to life this personal account of a Montreal garbageman with the utmost intensity and vigor. ParéPoupart’s in-depth memoir/exposé details his career as a hardworking, blue-collar trash collector while he was in the midst of earning several graduate degrees, including in sociology. His comical observations, love for his fellow workers, and descriptions of the physical endurance required for the job will give any listener a new appreciation for the work, and Brassard’s appealing

narration adds an additional layer of authenticity and enthusiasm.

Listen to gain a better understanding of the people who take care of your trash.

Payback Quinn, Elizabeth Rose | Read by Mozhan Navabi | Brilliance Audio | 9 hrs | $42.99 May 5, 2026 | 9781511354608

Fast-paced and twisty, this lockedroom mystery keeps listeners guessing until the very end. Seven female inmates are incarcerated at a Los Angeles minimum security facility where they serve their time on weekends. When Officer Bard, a particularly brutal prison guard, is murdered, the women are forced to work together to find the killer. Narrator Mozhan Navabi creates a wide range of multidimensional characters, including the two protagonists: driven political campaign manager Cami and compassionate disgraced nurse Ayse. Though the focus is on solving the murder, the story also tackles ideas of justice, privilege, redemption, and forgiveness.

Navabi’s excellent narration creates a wide range of compelling characters that will keep listeners invested.

For more audiobooks narrated by Mozhan Navabi, visit Kirkus online.

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Earphones Award

Score Ryan, Kennedy | Read by Wesleigh Siobhan, Winston James & Nicole Small Hachette Audio | 14 hrs, 25 mins $33.59 | May 19, 2026 | 9781668648629 Series: Hollywood Renaissance, 2

Three narrators elevate Ryan’s emotionally layered second-­ chance romance. The audiobook immerses listeners in the complicated love story of Verity Hill, a gifted screenwriter, and Wright “Monk” Bellamy, a celebrated musician and songwriter. Years after a painful college breakup, the two reunite for a Harlem Renaissance-era biopic about the fictional Dessi Blue. Wesleigh Siobhan delivers a mesmerizing performance, capturing Verity’s vulnerability as she grapples with a traumatic past, a life-altering diagnosis, and her enduring love for Monk. Siobhan’s nuanced narration conveys sensuality, heartbreak, and resilience with remarkable depth and credibility. Winston James is equally compelling, bringing conviction and emotional intensity to Monk’s passion, anguish, and resolve. Their voices complement each other beautifully, creating a palpable emotional connection. Listeners also hear excerpts from the screenplay, brought to life by Nicole Small. Her exquisite performance integrates seamlessly into the narrative, adding another layer of richness. An exceptional listening experience.

Rise Above: A Memoir Schnipper, Matthew | Read by Bill Callahan Random House Audio | 7 hrs, 58 mins $20 | July 21, 2026 | 9798217343393

Folk singer-­ songwriter Bill Callahan’s baritone voice and lived-in tone lend an air of relata­ bility to this exceptionally sad memoir. Schnipper recounts his K IR KU S R E V IE W S

response—deeply wounded, highly emotional, and often inconsolable—to the death at 22 months of his son, Renzo, as the result of an aneurism. When Schnipper, an editor, writer, and avant-garde music maven, is almost broken by the boy’s death, he seeks solace from a Jewish support group and from music—especially that of Callahan and Jazz great Bill Evans—and starts a business upselling old clothes. The subsequent birth of his daughter, Coco, also brings comfort to Schnipper and his wife, Allegra.

determine whether they can finally make it work. In a story told from multiple perspectives and in multiple timelines, the cast of narrators creates authentic characters who are both flawed and entertaining and make the story easy to follow to an unforgettable ending. A talented ensemble of narrators brings to life this funny, comp­ licated, and engaging listen.

All My Dead Cats and Other Losses: Practicing Good Grief in a Culture That Fears Mourning

While very much an individual story, Schnipper’s experience provides meaning in the darkness.

smith, s.e. | Read by Em Grosland Harper Audio | 9 hrs, 30 mins | $28.99 July 28, 2026 | 9780063446038

Dangerland! Singer, Erin | Read by Petrea Burchard, Brian Hutchison, Caitlin Kelly, Lee Osorio, Aida Reluzco & Shaun Taylor-Corbett Simon & Schuster Audio | 11 hrs, 45 mins $29.39 | July 7, 2026 | 9781668136768

Compassionate and independent, Eugenia, voiced by Petrea Burchard, is a lifelong resident of Las Vegas, a successful real estate agent, and the unofficial mayor of her upscale community, Alluvian. Impulsive and charismatic Kurt, voiced by Brian Hutchison, returns to confess his love for Eugenia. The two have been connected since childhood but the timing has never worked. Now, with drama in the community and the return of their adult children causing chaos, Eugenia must

Em Grosland performs this in-depth look at the multifaceted nature of grief. Author smith has loved many cats in their life, and after each loss, they have had to grapple with grief in different ways. Each chapter uses the story of a different cat as a springboard into a discussion of the complexities of grief and the many ways it shows up in our lives. Grosland narrates with a clear, direct tone, understanding when to be more expressive and when to let the text speak for itself. This strategy allows them to highlight moments of emotional weight without overwhelming the listener with the subject matter. Listeners are in good hands with Grosland’s expert performance.

Wesleigh Siobhan delivers a mesmerizing performance. SCORE

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The Supper Club Saints Swinarski, Claire | Read by Caitlin Davies, Emma Love, Alexandra Hunter & Nan McNamara | Harper Audio | 9 hrs, 43 mins $30.44 | May 5, 2026 | 9780063426269

This animal-driven noir features a standout performance. GREEN CITY WARS

After living at a “mommune,” Cass Simon has returned to her hometown in Wisconsin and to her family’s supper club, the Baumhaus. There, she joins her sister, Hilary; mother, Remy; and sister-in-law, Erin, all of whom are negotiating their feelings about motherhood and their relationships with each other and other people. A cast of four narrators relates the story: Nan McNamara is a mature-sounding Remy, Alexandra Hunter is Erin, Emma Love is at times relaxed and at times over-the-top as Cass, and Caitlin Davies is generally laidback as Hilary. They also effectively portray the children in the family.

A cast of four narrators sets the stage for exploring the relationships between the Simon women and their families.

Earphones Award

Green City Wars Tchaikovsky, Adrian | Read by John Pirhalla Macmillan Audio | 12 hrs, 50 mins | $30.44 June 23, 2026 | 9781250446121

This SF noir audiobook about a raccoon private investigator features a remarkable narration by John Pirhalla. Skotch, a genetically engineered raccoon and freelance private investigator, is offered a huge sum to find a missing mouse, with no clues as to its importance. But several animal factions are also looking for the mouse, and Skotch faces threats from many different quarters. Pirhalla’s narration easily 160 SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

differentiates a variety of animal gang leaders, henchmen, and more, each with their own cadence and accent. He adjusts his pacing precisely, intensifying the high-­ action scenes and settling into a more leisurely delivery when delving into sections of rich worldbuilding. This animal-driven noir features a standout performance.

In Deep Water: A True Story of Sharks, Survival, and Courage Tougias, Michael J. | Read by Adam Ewer Macmillan Audio | 6 hrs, 11 mins | $24.14 June 23, 2026 | 9781250458650

This heart-­ pumping true story of survival throws listeners into a nightmare come to life and is exactly how gripping narrative nonfiction should be both written and performed. The real-life audio thriller stays tightly focused on three men’s moment-bymoment struggle to survive after their fishing boat sinks and they are left adrift in the Gulf of Mexico with nothing but a few bottles of water and two coolers to hang on to. All the author’s explanatory details—from shark anatomy to Coast Guard helicopter rescue equipment—serve the central story well. Narrator Adam Ewer precisely conveys the extreme emotions of the stranded men as they desperately try to swim to an oil platform while sharks circle below.

Earphones Award

Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic West, Billy | Read by Billy West Recorded Books Inc. | 7 hrs, 1 min $22.04 | July 14, 2026 | 9798898850111

Fans of voice actor West may have difficulty reconciling his disturbing childhood with the numerous joyful characters he’s best known for. In this revealing, painfully honest memoir, West recalls life before, during, and after animated series The Ren & Stimpy Show and Futurama, in which he voiced multiple characters. Occasionally reverting to his comic voices to illustrate a point or an anecdote, West details his experiences with his brutal, psychotic father; his early efforts to disassociate himself from beatings and abuse; and the profoundly positive effects TV comics like Sid Caesar and Danny Kaye had on him. Late-in-life diagnoses of ADHD and OCD also gave West some comfort.

Moving from deeply despairing to wildly successful, only West could do his own poignant story justice.

Listen to a podcast episode about Voice-A-Versa.

Frightening, cinematic, tense, dramatic‚ this audiobook is easily binge-worthy.

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ANTICHRIST HIS ORIGIN, RISE, REIGN, AND FALL

They all praised his Christ Clone Trilogy...

A gri�y, scholarly apocalyp�c epic woven from scripture, science, and real-world poli�cs

“...inventive...dizzyingly well described... Astoundingly intelligent.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ★ for Birth of an Age, Vol. II

You can clone a man, but you can't clone a man's soul.

“BeauSeigneur knows how to write,

Is there anything so holy that Satan will not seek to corrupt it?

James BeauSeigneur

an NSA and DIA analyst with more than forty years living and working at the intersec�on of scripture, science, and real-world poli�cs

ISBN 978-0-9656948-8-9 [Hardcover]

ISBN 978-0-9656948-0-3 [Paperback] ISBN 978-0-9656948-9-6 [eBook] Audiobook available from Audible, Amazon, & Apple Books

deploying a tough, driving style in perfect cadence...The paranoia he evokes is a perfect fit for these times.” —Booklist (starred review) ★ for In His Image, Vol. I “Undeniably riveting...daring... wonderfully creepy...Readers will be enthralled by the author's sciencefortified vision of the Apocalypse.” —Publishers Weekly for Birth of an Age, Vol. II

Now he's back with the WHOLE story. “...fans of apocalyptic fiction are in for an unrelenting, epic journey. A studied, compelling, and unapologetically lengthy depiction of the end of days.” —Kirkus Reviews for ANTICHRIST

Film, Television, and Foreign Rights Available Contact Ray@Selec�veHouse.com

Ma�hew 10:16