September recap

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Looking back on September’s reading, there were a lot of excellent middle grade graphic novels, some standalone companion novels, and some really great adult fiction, plus an incredible biography of the musician Elliott Smith. And any month that includes a new Nick Day book is a month to celebrate! His books always appear to be about one thing (e.g. eels) and he sneaks in something else (e.g. how do humans acquire information?). Here are some of the highlights of this month’s reading:

Picture Books

  • I Am Murphy and I Am Waiting by Dan Yaccarino
  • The Truth About Dragons by Jaime Zollars
  • A Riddle of Eels by Nicholas Day and Corey Tabor
  • I Really Want to See an Elephant by Brianne Farley
Cover image of A Riddle of Eels, with watercolor eels swimming across the page from left to right

Middle Grade

  • Exposures by Lily Williams (graphic novel about a girl learning to manage her OCD)
  • Heidi by Mariah Marsden (graphic novel adaptation of Johanna Spyri’s Heidi)
  • The Ginghams by T.C. Kemper (like a sci-fi Stepford Wives for tweens. Conformity is creepy!)
  • Very Far from Home by Hope Larson (graphic novel, standalone companion to Very Bad at Math)
  • Wallace the Brave by Will Henry (comics along the lines of Calvin & Hobbes)
  • Witches of Brooklyn: S’Witch Back by Sophie Escabasse (the sixth in the series, thankfully, does not have a cliffhanger ending like #5!)
  • Mexikid Dreams by Pedro Martin (a companion to Mexikid)

YA

  • Angry Girls Will Get Us Through by Ruby Shamir (adapted from Rebecca Traister’s books, e.g. Good and Mad, etc.)
  • Evie and Her Nightmares by Francesca Zappia (companion to Eliza and Her Monsters)

Adult

  • Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves (narrated by Death)
  • Miss Bates by Catherine Cliff (retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma from Henrietta Bates’ POV)
  • Extracurricular by Rachel Lynn Solomon (romance)
  • Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher (companion to Swordheart and the Clockwork Boys novels)
  • Skylark by Paula McLain (two stories, centuries apart, in which people use the tunnels under Paris to escape)
  • The Maid by Nita Prose (a mystery with a neurodivergent narrator; recommended by a friend)
  • The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson (very New England-y)
  • Nobody Broke Your Heart: an intimate biography of Elliott Smith by Jamie Fisher
Cover of Nobody Broke Your Heart, with the title in pink all-caps text and a photo of Elliott Smith wearing a blue beanie, black wristband, and green pants

Becky Chambers at Smith College

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Monk + Robot (A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy) by Becky Chambers was the Smith College “Smith Reads” selection for 2026, a fact that would have completely slipped by me if I hadn’t happened to stop into Broadside Bookshop in Northampton a couple days before the event, and happened to buy a copy of Monk + Robot. Serendipitous! So, a friend and I got to see Becky Chambers in conversation with Toby Davis, and it was delightful.

I first read Becky Chambers in 2022, on a friend’s recommendation; The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, the first in the Wayfarers series, is a space opera with an ensemble cast. It reminded me a bit of the TV show Firefly and the middle grade graphic novels Sanity and Tallulah by Molly Brooks. I read A Closed and Common Orbit (the second Wayfarers book) a few months later, but I really fell in love with the Monk + Robot books (recommended to me by the same colleague/friend who accompanied me to the author event!).

Cover image of Monk + Robot

Becky’s Wikipedia page says she’s “a pioneer of the hopepunk genre,” and that’s kind of a wonderful description. The Monk + Robot books are set in a future where sentient robots have left humanity to their own devices, and human settlements look very different than our present-day ones; they’re more sustainable, and kinder. Sibling Dex, a tea monk, and Mosscap, a robot, meet and begin to learn about each other and become friends. Like all cross-cultural friendships, theirs has stumbles and hiccups (“I wish I could understand experiences I’m incapable of having”), but the world they inhabit is a beautiful one.

When dystopias crowd the shelves and all the news seems bad, it’s so important to imagine a world worth working toward. (See also: What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.) Here are my notes from Becky Chambers’ talk to incoming Smith students, all quotes or close paraphrases.

  • Be open to everything. Interrogate everything, even the familiar. Don’t be afraid of mistakes.
  • Change isn’t failure, it’s growth.
  • Challenge your expectations, challenge your biases.
  • “I put a lot of trust in my readers to be smart and to follow along” without hand-holding.
  • “There will never be a one-size-fits-all solution for how a community lives sustainably. There are different cultural values, ecosystems, worldviews. But “we all want to live and we all want to thrive.” There needs to be a willingness to cooperate. People can recognize that “what is right for me might not be right for you” but there’s space to compromise. What’s important is all of us working collectively, with a “core ethos” to respect and care for the world. “That’s how we get there.”
  • “Our survival adaptation is each other.” (This made me think of Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel, in which a post-apocalyptic traveling symphony and Shakespeare troupe takes as their motto “Survival is insufficient,” a quote from Star Trek: Voyager.)
  • We are best when we all bring different skills to the table. Learn how to talk to people, how to work together.
  • Nature and technology are not fundamentally opposed. Technology is tools. How is it used, who uses it, who benefits? Technology can respect agency, autonomy, and privacy.
  • “The world is beautiful and worth protecting.” -Mosscap
  • Writing a book is like cooking dinner out of whatever’s in the fridge.
  • Q: What inspires/influences you? A: Star Trek Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Carl Sagan, Ursula K. LeGuin
  • We write things down. Worldbuilding includes written things as well as conversation and dialogue and internal monologue.
  • The monks in Chambers’ books are “more relaxed.” These books are about false binaries: religion and science (fiction), technology and nature, are not opposites. Hedonistic is not the same as immoral. The most sacred life you can live is enjoying the world.
  • Q: What do you think humans need? A: Well, it’s been great… [pretends to get up to leave] “We need each other.” We need to talk, listen, find out what other people need.
Cover image of As You Wake, Break the Shell

A new Becky Chambers book is coming soon: As You Wake, Break the Shell (10/13/26).

More speculative fiction and nonfiction

Unicorn Club

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Back in April, I got a note in my “bearmail” suggestion box that the library should have “Unicorn Club.” Okay, I thought, What would that look like? I surveyed other Massachusetts youth librarians to see if anyone else had done one, and no one had, so here’s what I came up with:

  • Stories
  • Crafts
  • Pin the Horn on the Unicorn
  • Scavenger Hunt

I pulled or requested a couple dozen unicorn-themed picture books and chapter books to have at the event; I read these three aloud, and all were available for browsing and checkout (see below):

  • Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham
  • Uni the Unicorn by Amy Krause Rosenthal and Brigette Barrager
  • Do You Believe in Unicorns? by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

After stories, some kids played Pin the Horn on the Unicorn, others did one of the two prepared crafts or coloring sheets, and some went straight to the scavenger hunt. Fortunately, my wonderful summer intern had researched and prepared unicorn crafts before she went back to school. But with a little preparation, this isn’t a hard event to pull off, and people loved it!

A large piece of white butcher paper with a horse drawn on in black marker, and colorful construction paper horns taped all over
Pin the Horn on the Unicorn (did not use a blindfold or spin kids around, just told them to close their eyes)
Unicorn Club Scavenger Hunt: "Find pictures of these books around the library! Work by yourself or with a partner. Pictures of twelve book covers (Pretty Perfect Kitty-Corn, Teeny-Weeny Unicorn, etc.) for kids to find.
Unicorn Club Scavenger Hunt: Laminated shapes were stuck to walls, shelves, and windows around the children’s area
A child in a purple unicorn-print dress holds up her paper plate unicorn craft; her face is blocked out by a sparkle unicorn emoji.
A Unicorn Club attendee showing off her paper plate craft

The crafts we chose to plan were ones that were easy for even young kids to make, especially with help from their grown-ups. For older, more artsy kids who are into Dana Simpson’s Phoebe and Her Unicorn graphic novels, there is a “Create Your Own Cartoon Strip,” “How to Draw Phoebe and Friends,” and a full Cartooning Guide.

I forgot to plan for prizes for the scavenger hunt – unicorn stickers would have been perfect – but I had some rainbow glitter temporary tattoos left over from the Pride Club showcase last June, and kids were happy with those.

Other unicorn picture books:

  • The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn by Shawn Harris
  • Sophie Johnson, Unicorn Expert by Morag Hood
  • Beatrix and the Unicorn by Lita Judge
  • There’s A Unicorn In Your Ear by Megan Potter/Christina Leist
  • Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea
  • Margaret’s Unicorn by Briony May Smith
  • Unicorn Post by Emma Yarlett
  • I’m A Unicorn by Helen Yoon

Unicorn chapter books and graphic novels:

  • Zooey and Sassafras by Asia Citro
  • Into the Land of the Unicorns by Bruce Coville
  • Sarah’s Unicorn by Bruce Coville
  • Unicorn Diaries by Rebecca Elliott
  • Unicorn Boy by Dave Roman
  • Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson

Unicorn Club was so popular we will likely do it again…but first, I think we need to give Dragon Club a try!

August recap

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It would be hard to beat the vacation reading of July 2025 (which included The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, A Sorceress Comes to Call, and Memorial Days), but inventive Australian time travel novel Time Travel for Beginners (by the author of the middle grade Kingdoms & Empires books) and a new volume of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion are a good start. This month, I also enjoyed sharing picture books The Skeleton and the Cat with my Pajama Storytime group, and Wide Load on the Road with my morning storytime group; it’s the first picture book I’ve ever seen about how wind turbines are delivered! I read a knockout heist novel set in Victorian London (An Artful Dodge), and an absolutely killer fantasy novel in the new Maggie the Undying…series? trilogy? duology? Infuriatingly, the first book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and the next book isn’t due out until the second half of 2027.

In the meantime, fortunately, there are new books to look forward to by John Green (Hollywood, Ending) and Emily St. John Mandel (Exit Party). For kids (and those of us who enjoy kids’ books), there’s a new volume in the Witches of Brooklyn graphic novel series and a new “Celie” book (Holidays at the Castle), plus a new Swifts book by Beth Lincoln (Garden of Vipers), which we’ve already read but will read again when it’s released in its physical form. (Speaking of which, Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger is coming soon too.)

A stack of books, including Moon Over Manifest, The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, The Enchanted April, Building 903, and Time Travel for Beginners
August vacation week reading (read all except Moon Over Manifest)

Picture Books

  • I Want Everything by Sophy Henn
  • The Skeleton and the Cat by Brandon James Scott
  • The Dog Who Was Almost Perfect by Jack Kurland
  • Wide Load on the Road by Stephen Savage
  • Today We’ll Be Eaten by Alan Barillaro
  • Off the Wall: Making Stuff Together by Juana Martinez-Neal and Molly Idle
Cover image of Wide Load on the Road

Middle Grade

  • Midsummer Sisters by Niki Smith
  • Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen
  • Sweet, Tart by Kara Thom
  • The New Girl by Cassandra Calin

YA

  • Bridget and Gabe Are Not Okay by Lex Croucher
Cover image of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me

Adult

  • An Artful Dodge by Karen Odden
  • Time Travel for Beginners by Jaclyn Moriarty
  • The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (vol. 6-8)
  • This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
Photo of Juana Martinez-Neal, with long dark hair and glasses, and a light-skinned child in a red t-shirt drawing with beeswax crayons on large paper on the floor
Kiddo drawing with Caldecott honoree Juana Martinez-Neal at the Carle Museum after a reading of Off the Wall

July recap

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Happy English books (Emma M. Lion), sad Irish books (recommended by Maggie O’Farrell on the Culture Study podcast with Anne Helen Petersen), and much on the topic of decluttering and tidying, from picture books (Everything Grandma Needs) to – who else – Marie Kondo. Here are the standouts from the books I read in July.

Picture Books

  • The Haircut (board book) by Theo Heras and Renne Benoit
  • Pufflings Fly Free by Colleen Paeff and Linda Olafsdottir
  • The Wise Pickle by Sarah Howden andSabina Hahn
  • The Long Hike: The Story of the First Appalachian Thru-Hike by Meghan McCarthy
  • Everything Grandma Needs by Molly Beth Griffin and Anait Semirdhzyan
The Wise Pickle by Sarah Howden

Middle Grade

  • Where Ella Went by Laurie Morrison
  • A Potion, A Powder, A Little Bit of Magic by Philip Stead
  • Midsummer Sisters by Niki Smith
Where Ella Went by Laurie Morrison

Adult

  • The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob
  • An Accident of Dragons by Cheri Radke
  • Kurashi at Home by Marie Kondo
  • I’m A Lot by Alison Leiby (recommended by Josh Gondelman)
  • The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (vol. 4 & 5) by Beth Brower
  • Advice No One Asked for by Jenny Hagel
  • Making Space, Clutter Free by Tracy McCubbin
  • The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
Advice No One Asked For by Jenny Hagel

Western Mass Kids’ Library Crawl

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A pub crawl, a bookstore crawl, an ice cream crawl, why not a library crawl? I polled Western Massachusetts librarians via our listserv about the top reasons families might want to visit their libraries, and librarians (of course!) answered. Fish tanks, scavenger hunts, cozy chairs and big graphic novel collections, joke days, Lego, crafts, murals, seed libraries, the butterfly life cycle in action…every library has something special and unique. The library crawl lasts all summer and there’s still some summer left, so if you’re in Western Mass, give it a try!

If you want to create a crawl of your own, it’s not too hard. I created a google form to collect each library’s name, “why you should visit” (up to three reasons/attractions), what they could offer (a stamp, sticker, small prize, etc.), their library logo as a small image file, and any ideas they had to add. I should have asked for the library address – I ended up having to look those up – and you could decide to include library hours, but because smaller libraries especially have wonky hours, I thought that would take up too much space on the page. I designed this handout in Canva, but you can use any design tool you like.

What’s something special about your library?

June recap

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Vacation reading

This month was heavy on excellent adult books. There were also a few books I started and didn’t finish, which aren’t listed here. (Remember, if you don’t like a book, and you’re not required to read it for school or work, put it down and find another. It’s okay! Good, even.) Standouts include eagerly awaited new books from Ann Patchett (Whistler) and Maggie O’Farrell (Land), two authors I’ve been reading for the last twenty years. Whistler and Land did not disappoint; both were phenomenal, though Whistler was more of a warm hug and Land was more of an extended gut punch (it’s set right after the Great Hunger in Ireland).

Elizabeth Strout’s newest, Things We Never Say, was quietly compelling, and Melissa Albert’s adult fantasy/horror book, The Children, reminded me a bit of Alix E. Harrow’s work (and Albert’s earlier YA books). Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers was a perfect vacation read; I love a mystery, and it reminded me of Clare Pooley’s Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting (not a mystery, but another book in which a disparate group of people form a community).

Middle grade novel Nell O’Dell Hates Quests is great fun whether you’re a fantasy/adventure fan or not. The hook is right there in the title: Nell is the daughter of two famous questers, but she has no inclination to go on a quest herself. Naturally, she’s forced on one, complete with questing companions, a ghost cat, a bridge troll, side quests, fairies, dragons…the whole nine yards. It is delightful, and the audiobook, narrated by Laura Knight Keating, is wonderful (she does Midge’s voice especially well).

I got to share picture book The Talking Eggs with my kiddo; I remembered it from childhood but realized we’d never read it together. The story stuck with me (obviously), and there’s a Jerry Pinkney exhibit coming up at the Carle Museum; maybe there will be some original art from the book. Axolotl-Ella is a Cinderella retelling in the very capable hands of author Kate Messner, paired with charming illustrator Lian Cho.

Last but really, really not least…I got an advanced reader’s copy of Audrey Niffenegger’s new book, the long-awaited sequel/companion to The Time Traveler’s Wife. I won’t write any details here, but I wrote about it a little on LibraryThing (still no spoilers).

Picture Books

  • Nice Work by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Hala Tahboub
  • The Talking Eggs by Robert San Souci and Jerry Pinkney
  • Waffles & Julius: No Hugs Please! by Ed Vere
  • Becca & Bubbe’s Bucket List by Laura Gehl and Sarah Lynn Baker
  • Axolotl-Ella by Kate Messner and Lian Cho

Middle GradeCover image of Nell O'Dell Hates Quests

  • Nell O’Dell Hates Quests by Emily B. Martin

YA

  • As I Dream of You by Jennifer Lee and LeUyen Pham
  • How to Survive the End of the World: A Graphic Exploration of How to (Maybe) Avoid Extinction by Katy Doughty

Adult

  • The Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon)
  • You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar
  • Mrs. Orwell by Andrea Chalupa and Brahm Revel
  • Whistler by Ann Patchett
  • Land by Maggie O’Farrell
  • The Children by Melissa Albert
  • Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
  • Prestige Drama by Seamus O’Reilly
  • The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 2 & 3, by Beth Brower
  • Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger (ARC)
  • The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
  • The Best Dog in the World, edited by Alice Hoffman

May recap

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A nice variety this month, with standouts in every category.

Picture Books

Cover image of Claydate
  • Claydate by Dev Petty and Lauren Eldridge: Nearly ten years after Claymates comes a brilliant companion book – a delightful surprise!
  • The Whale’s Tale and the Otter Side of the Story by Kate Messner and Brian Biggs
  • Nice Work by Nicholas Day and Hala Tahboub

Middle Grade

Cover image of Princess Academy
  • Princess Academy by Shannon Hale and Victoria Ying (graphic novel): It’s been a while since I read the original Princess Academy novel, but this adaptation seems fairly flawless. (It got top marks from the 10yo as well.)
  • Seeing Stars (Batcat #4) by Meggie Ramm
  • The Endless Game by J.D. Amato
  • Opting Out by Maia Kobabe and Swati “Lucky” Srikumar
  • The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene by Corey Ann Haydu

YA

Cover image of Holloway
  • Holloway by Elana K. Arnold: A fall-back-in-time from 2021 to 1946, set in France? Yes, please. Unexpected and wonderful, with a neurodiverse, artistic, deeply empathetic main character.

Adult

Cover image of Mother Tongue by Sara Novic
  • American Fantasy by Emma Straub: excellent delineation of setting, but I wanted more transformation for each of the three point-of-view characters.
  • Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian
  • A Suit or a Suitcase: Poems by Maggie Smith
  • Adult Braces by Lindy West
  • Mother Tongue: A Memoir by Sara Novic

First Annual Picture Book Fair

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Sometime last fall, I had the idea to host a picture book fair here at the library. From my planning document: “Big Idea: Invite lots of local picture book authors/illustrators to SHPL in spring 2026 for a picture book fair! Each author will have ~15 minutes to read from their book (or do a drawing demo or other activity); all will have the opportunity to chat with readers and sell copies of their book.” And earlier this month, that’s exactly what happened! It went well enough that I’m already thinking of next year’s event…

But first, here are some details, so that you, too, can host a picture book fair at your library or bookstore:Author Christina Uss with a walrus puppet and her book, The Island Before No

  • Figure out a date and time. I chose the Saturday of Mass Kids Lit Fest so the event would have additional promotion from the Massachusetts Center for the Book; it appeared on their online calendar and promotional materials, and they shared editable graphics in Canva that I could customize. This also gave me half a year to…
  • Identify local authors and illustrators to invite, and check in with the local bookstore. Western Massachusetts is rich in kidlit creators (so is Eastern Mass, actually), and I couldn’t invite everyone I wanted, because my library is only open from 9:30am-1pm on Saturdays. I invited ten, and got seven, which was perfect! And our local bookstore, Odyssey, is a fantastic partner; their children’s book buyer brainstormed with me, ordered extra copies of the authors’ books, and showed up on the day of the fair with books to sell.
  • Author questionnaire: I asked for basic info: name, pronouns, short biography, headshot, which of their books they were planning to read, any other activities they wanted to do during their time, and any supplies they would need. Closer to the event, I asked about scheduling preferences. Fortunately, I was working with a delightful group, nearly all of whom stayed for the whole fair, which made scheduling fairly easy (but make sure your lead-off person is okay going first!).Flyer for Mass Kids Lit Fest Picture Book Fair with book covers
  • Advertise: The Mass Center for the Book promoted the event, and it was also on our library website, calendar, and social media. The bookshop posted flyers, and I shared a digital copy with all the public schools in town, as well as the youth librarian listserv so other nearby libraries could help spread the word. I mentioned it up at every other library program in the weeks leading up to the fair, and I talked to a reporter at one of the local papers.
  • Incentives: I made a “collect ’em all” half-sheet with each author’s headshot so kids could collect their signatures (or a stamp or a sticker or a mini drawing); kids who met every author could enter a prize drawing to win a bookstore gift certificate or a copy of one of the author’s books. (These were generously donated by the bookstore and the author, respectively).Autograph page for authors, with headshots and names
  • Setup: We decided to use the storytime room for the read-alouds, and set up the bookstore table and meet-the-authors tables in the general children’s area, which involved moving the train table and flannel board easel, bringing in extra tables, and converting the coloring table to a “make your own bookmark” station. If you can, designate a quiet space people can go if the fair is overstimulating; I reserved one of the library’s other rooms.
  • Week before the event stuff: Confirm final schedule with authors; collect or request library copies of the authors’ books to display; print and cut the “collect ’em all” autograph pages/raffle entries; make a raffle entry box; make table tents with the authors’ names to welcome them; cut lengths of ribbon to loop through the bookmark holes; gather clipboards, paper, and crayons for a draw-along; set up the easel and big paper for the author/illustrator’s drawing demo; print custom coloring sheets; schedule extra social media posts; print author bios and schedule.

On the day of the fair, the weather cooperated: it rained! (Indoor activity, anyone?) By the time the rooms were set up and the bookshop folks and authors were here, 26 visitors were ready for storytime. The whole event ran on time; 15 minutes is just about enough for an introduction, a story, and a couple of questions. Twenty minutes, or more generous breaks between readings, could certainly work, although longer breaks might disrupt the momentum. We had such a tight time frame (seven authors in two and a half hours) that we had to do it this way, and it worked out pretty well! Guests, authors, and booksellers all seemed happy.

  • Follow up: Make sure to THANK THE AUTHORS and the booksellers, in person and by email! If I’d thought about it in time, I would have baked cookies the night before. (Obviously, if you have the budget to pay an honorarium, I’m sure that would be appreciated!) Post to social media and tag partner organizations. Ask the authors if they have any author/illustrator friends who might be interested in participating next time. Thank everyone again. Go home and change into pajamas and read on the couch with your dog for the rest of the day.
Booksellers, authors, and librarian lined up behind a table
Left to right: Odyssey bookseller Laure, author Nicholas Day, librarian Jenny, authors Mk Smith Despres, Mara Rockliff, Jeff Mack, Christina Uss, Vicki Johnson, and Odyssey bookseller Ana (not pictured: Britt Crow-Miller)

April recap

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What if everyone helped clean up the world a little bit? What if you showed up for a birthday party a day late? What if you could save a horse that was headed to the slaughterhouse? What if your slam poem went viral? What if cities were designed for people instead of cars? What if you thought the other person tied up the houseboat and now you’re at sea? What if you really just don’t want to put on shoes today?

What if, what if, what if…a better world was possible?

Here are some of the books I enjoyed most during the month of April:

Picture BooksCover image of While We're Here

  • More Than A Tree by Sarah Kurpiel (really captures the sadness and loss when a beloved tree has to come down)
  • Because of a Shoe by Julie Fogliano and Marla Frazee (why haven’t these two done something together until now? Brilliant pairing. Big feelings.)
  • Ripples by Katie Yamasaki (more muralists illustrating picture books, please!)
  • While We’re Here by Anne Wynter and Micha Archer (I actually gasped out loud in the middle of this book. Read it yourself and guess where. And oh I love Micha’s collage so much)
  • Robin and the Stick by E.B. Goodale (for every kid who loves to collect sticks)
  • A Book of Maps for You by Lourdes Heuer and Maxwell Eaton III (an inventive, heartfelt, kid’s-eye-view book about moving)

Middle GradeCover image of Benny on the Case

  • Phoenix by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (as a Horse Girl, I would have loved this as a kid…but I love it now too)
  • Froggy: A Pond Full of Pals by Paige Walsh (SO funny. Reminded me a bit of Batcat, which is so snarky and silly and genuine)
  • Benny on the Case by Wesley King (read this with the homeschool book group at the library, and it’s an MCBA book for 2026-2027! Not a ton of books set in Newfoundland – this is a great one!)
  • Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea by Pari Thompson (an excellent second book in the trilogy)

Young AdultCover image of A Better World Is Possible

  • A Better World Is Possible: Global Youth Confront the Climate Crisis by Meena Subramanian and Danica Novgorodoff
  • Truth Is by Hannah V. Sawyerr (see also: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo)

Adult

  • Swept Away by Beth O’Leary (what happens when your one night stand turns into two weeks because you didn’t tie up the houseboat?)
  • The Keeper by Tana French (When I get a new Tana French book in my hands, please don’t talk to me until I am finished. I’ll be with you shortly.)
  • Frog: And Other Essays by Anne FadimanCover image of Life After Cars
  • Life After Cars by Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon, and Aaron Naparstek (the sentence from this that has stuck with me: “cities aren’t loud, cars are loud.” And the idea that we could/should design cities to accommodate humans, not cars.)
  • Bug Hollow by Michelle Huneven (multiple narrators with big jumps in time between them; reminded me a little of Ann Patchett’s The Patron Saint of Liars)
  • How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay by Jenny Lawson
  • Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell