This motivational book opens by discussing how women often face “You should say something” moments but don’t end up speaking out because of fear. The author emphasizes that the goal is not to have the loudest voice but the clearest. A woman’s voice she insists can create a “ripple” that extends to fellow teammates or members of an organization and beyond. Sickels insists that speaking up isn’t only about “big moments” but rather “infinite” opportunities to share an idea express appreciation or invite someone else into the conversation. The book breaks down seven “silencers” or reasons women don’t speak up from job-loss anxiety to male-dominated conversations. The book’s VOICE framework focuses on how values outcome identity consistency and energy influence effective speaking. “Feeling Action Transformation” is an action plan for identifying how you want people to feel what you want them to do and what transformation would look like after you have spoken. The author recommends sharing stories “thoughtfully and intentionally” to build rapport with colleagues. The book explains how leaders’ “ABCs” (or Assumptions Body Language and Choices) influence the energy they bring into a room. The book concludes with the reminder that “when you know your values you know what to say. Say it today.” Sickels builds a compelling case throughout the book for why it’s so important for women to make their voices heard. The book reassures women that “speaking effectively is a skill” that can be learned with practice. A comprehensive “Cost Versus Benefit of Speaking Up” matrix provides guidance on when to step into the “Courage Zone” or the “Strategic Zone.” The book also offers examples of the “Silenced” and “Unsilenced” mentalities like shifting from “Hearing no is so embarrassing and awkward” to “After sharing I’ll invite my colleagues to chime in with their questions concerns and suggestions.” However the inclusion of too many anecdotes fails to further the author’s argument; they seem to unnecessarily pad the page count.

“Every movie romance needs an Obstacle a reason the characters don’t naturally fall into each other.” In the off-screen romance between actors Juniper Castillo and Kai Laramie the obstacle is a moving target. Juniper notices early on that as flirty and forward as Kai is he seems “closed off to a romantic connection”; that turns out to be the tip of a very problematic iceberg. The two meet in the lobby of a Pittsburgh hotel where they will be spending the evening with Matthew Malone the megastar playing Andy Warhol in a movie they’re about to begin shooting Andy Warhol Never Gets Old. Kai has been cast as Andy’s intern Juniper as a journalist who gets in over her head. This is Juniper’s first adult role after a long run as a Nickelodeon child star and newcomer Kai’s first role of any kind. Green evokes in compelling detail all the phases and aspects of the film project from the table read to the screening of the rough cut from the social media fanfare to the public premiere and the press junket moving back and forth between Juniper’s and Kai’s first-person perspectives. In a meeting with one of the ubiquitous publicists Kai learns that somehow “the high school stuff” he never talks about—despite their growing inseparability and seemingly profound connection he hasn’t even brought himself to share it with Juniper—has surfaced. Details emerge slowly then blow up in the media; the book’s third act focuses on the destructive potential of celebrity culture in a climate that makes Warhol’s milieu look innocent by comparison. After a long break from writing fiction—his last two books were Everything Is Tuberculosis (2025) and The Anthropocene Reviewed (2021)—Green fills this novel with carefully observed details of Hollywood culture and characters including running jokes about vegan cuisine media training and the way Kai’s agent constantly and boorishly consults his young female assistant on points of political correctness. Can he talk about “hot girls”? Can he quote T.S. Eliot? OK to say “dog vomit”?

“Mags MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O. / And on that farm she had a…WHOLE LOTTA WORK TO DO!” With Old MacDonald taking a much-needed vacation Mags decides to bring the farm into the 21st century. She begins ordering contraptions: a turbo jetpack with hose attachment to help water the crops (“with a SPRINKLE-SPRINKLE here / and a SPLOOSH-SPLOOSH there”) a voice-activated giant robotic octopus to pick apples (“with a SQUEEZE-SQUEEZE here / and a SQUEEZE-SQUEEZE there”) and more. Everything goes haywire. An exhausted Mags wishes for help and a gaggle of friends arrive to put the tech to good use. MacGregor riffs cleverly on the nursery rhyme; her verse scans (and sings!) well while Ogawa’s illustrations carry the story with details that aren’t included in the text. Mags loses control of the jetpack and sprays water everywhere as a flock of frightened fowl squawk; unruly drones send the animals fleeing; the mechanical octopus pauses to eat pizza. Readers will enjoy spotting funny details like the cow flying around with the jetpack. Those familiar with the source material will be particularly charmed. Mags and Old MacDonald are pale-skinned; Mags’ friends are diverse.

In the context of Black cultural life writes English professor Freeburg “soul is the one-word answer to this question: How did enslaved Africans turn America’s infamous failure into the greatest moral occasion of modern Western life?” Soul involves the formation of community self-care and self-help; delivering aid to others; and finding meaning in life—all enabling “survival in hostile environments that enslaved Africans and that later second-class citizens were forced to call home.” Freeburg identifies four pillars of soul: resonance revelation resilience and transcendence. The first “underscores how Black people connect to each other inside their homes and institutions” while the second concerns finding and creating community and extended family. Resilience is self-explanatory though it has an element of self-effacement; one of Freeburg’s exemplars is the great singer Nina Simone who “believed that her voice was so significant to the mourning and struggle during the 1960s and 1970s that she sacrificed her own health and family relationships.” Another exemplar is the poet Gwendolyn Brooks who was encouraged in her art by Langston Hughes and other writers and editors and who also returned the favor by nurturing other aspirants. Finally transcendence involves overcoming difficult even seemingly impossible obstacles to individual and social progress. Here Freeburg holds up the example of Jewel Thais-Williams a model of intersectionality—gay feminist Black—who owned a popular Los Angeles nightclub that provided a home for LGBTQ+ people: “It was a Black club and it was queer but Jewel made sure that above all everyone felt invited and welcome.” Freeburg deftly joins historical figures such as Frederick Douglass and Phyllis Wheatley to contemporary ones such as Barack Obama to illustrate his welcoming assertion that “affirmations of self in a chosen community or a community chosen for you define soul.”

When we last left mouseling Titch she had just escaped a crew of grabbers—greedy forest scavengers—with the help of an eaglebear a massive creature the Grabbers also held captive. As this story begins Titch her homebody rodent pal Huckleberry and pocket-size puffling Dollop are lost in Rotwood Mire. A gruesome creature arises from the mud—a Bogbungler! Titch tries to subdue it with her magical staff but fails. A brave warrior arrives—a self-assured sword-sporting squirrel who introduces herself as Briar Nettlebrush. Briar insists she’s a loner but before long she reveals that she needs Titch’s help. The squirrels of her village are under the mind control of a turtle wizard Lord Muskeg who wears a dark green gem around his neck. Having previously introduced the Bravepaw prophecy that Titch must strive to fulfill (“When the sky fills with shadow / And all is turned to gray / Bravepaw will come…”) Wilkinson adds an important wrinkle. The squirrels know an extra verse: “When gems unite in harmony / …Bravepaw will come.” In this fanciful absorbing tale of teamwork it certainly seems that Titch will not be fulfilling her destiny alone. Naidu’s illustrations of forest creatures remain insistently adorable with the brilliant exceptions of the gloopy gross Bogbungler and “mucky scoundrel” Muskeg.

Werth whose books include The Billion-Dollar Molecule (1994) opens with the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic which did not spare the U.S. whose doctors wrote millions of prescriptions that cured no one. He then delivers an eye-opening history of the American pharmaceutical industry featuring little-known geniuses (James Conant Max Tishler Selman Waksman) as well as commercial labs—“like wildcatters in the vicinity of an oil strike”—that include Merck Squibb and Eli Lilly. World War I produced a bonanza as the U.S. seized American branches of Germany’s chemical industry—then the world’s best. Until the 1930s profit leaders were newly discovered vitamins. Penicillin changed everything. Although discovered in Britain it required a vast American industrial program to produce commercial quantities. Penicillin was not patented so any company could make it and profits were minimal. In any case making money from prescription medicines was considered disreputable at the time. This changed after World War II. Government funding had given companies a massive infrastructure—mostly huge vats of bacteria already producing antibiotics besides penicillin a “miracle drug” that enraptured the general public no less than the medical profession. This cured pharmaceutical companies of their objection to profits. They established research departments hired chemists patented discoveries and recruited sales personnel to promote products to doctors. The result was more miracle drugs and profits. Werth ends with 1962 Senate hearings that revealed a great deal of shady behavior and overcharging and resulted in a strong reform bill that after vigorous lobbying was gutted—and then rescued by the thalidomide disaster; a morning-sickness pill popular in Europe thalidomide produced thousands of babies with birth defects. An engrossing read the book is occasionally interrupted by digressions such as a long account of the spread of nuclear weapons and a chapter recounting one patient’s unusual psychiatric side effect to cortisone.

As Icelandic author Helgadóttir’s novel opens the “strongest woman in the world” is attempting an impossible feat: breaking out of a prison cell while shackled. The novel then moves sharply back in time to show that woman Gunnhildur as a baby breaking free of her mother’s body. When she’s brought home to a place of emotional extremes her older brother Eiður attempts to soothe her. She grabs his fingers with an unfathomable strength and the siblings immediately “became powerless comrades in a place where nothing could ever be changed.” Then their mother dies and their father separates the siblings. Living with their father Eiður searches for connection and community through the world of activism protests and the desire for social change. Meanwhile Gunnhildur is sent to live with her uncle and cousin on a farm—and learns to harness a quiet inner strength in addition to her physical prowess. Eiður struggles with his public persona as a human rights activist chef and environmentalist—and his interior truth that he may not have the passion to continue trying to change the world. While Gunnhildur’s life seems more aimless than Eiður’s she finds purpose in both motherhood and her work as a sought-after mortuary cosmetologist. The novel alternates between chapters focused on Eiður Gunnhildur and the lives of Gunnhildur’s clients. Though they initially feel out of place the cosmetology chapters offer lovely glimpses into humankind more generally and reveal the immense care Gunnhildur puts into the world. As the novel brings itself back to where it opened the juxtaposition of Eiður’s flashier energy and Gunnhildur’s understated fortitude brings each sibling—and their relationship with each other—into sharper focus. Helgadóttir’s novel quietly reveals the power that comes from finding your place even if it’s not where you expected.

This trilogy closer sends Keeper sidekick Toby Boggs and distracted (if ever resourceful) associate Y into a series of misadventures after they agree to help recover an important but fragmented message. Though returning fans of the series might find the joke has worn a bit thin they’ll still enjoy seeing what offbeat powers the author can concoct for the members of her rival but not very different organizations: H.E.R.O. and E.V.I.L. (for example Y’s mom turns out to be Vogue a superhero with fashion powers). Readers also see supposed villain Keeper whose developing skill is perfectly evident to everyone except him save the day again and again. Meanwhile narrow escapes high-speed chases and other potentially hazardous situations lead to a violent if nonfatal fracas with some ominous new players—one with a chilling ability to authoritatively spout incorrect facts (“the capital of Vermont is Burlington”). Y’s laudably persistent efforts to corner Keeper into a prom invite provide material for soul searching personal sacrifice real suspense and at last an upbeat epilogue. The cast largely presents white.

After German bombs level Eilidh Flett’s neighborhood on the outskirts of Glasgow mum sends her to stay with her Aunt Rhona and cousin Magnus on tiny rocky Mirk Skerry. Eilidh misses her dad who’s been lost at sea resents her grumpy cousin and doesn’t know how to fill her days. Why does Aunt Rhona spend so much time alone in the tower of the island’s defunct lighthouse which Eilidh isn’t allowed to enter? And why do Magnus and his mum speak a mysterious language called Norn? One night a ship is torpedoed near the island and Eilidh accidentally discovers that she comes from a long line of Nightkeepers who help usher on the souls of the drowned. The cousins set out on an increasingly dangerous and frantic search for the lost seaglass horn of the mystical aquatic Finfolk which has the power to recall the souls of everyone who’s ever drowned at sea including their own fathers and Cam the ghost of a boy from the sunken ship who’s been left stranded on Mirk Skerry. Together they face down stormy seas German bombers sheer cliffs underwater caves loss grief and even the Finfolk themselves in a briskly told adventure that delightfully interweaves Scottish and Norse mythical and linguistic elements.

The first in Trinh’s fantasy series introduced readers to the Legendary Allies Team which consists of three tweens and their magical animal companions as they seek to defeat the bong toi the problems that linger from the Dark Times. This tale focuses on Cam and their ally the turtle Emerald (both of whom use they/them pronouns). Having known hunger firsthand Cam is determined to put things right but tensions between fellow teammates Mai the Healer and Lieu the Protector escalate echoed by their squabbling Legendary animal allies a phoenix and a lan. Vivid images frequently pop up in Cam’s mind helping the child make connections but this ability becomes overwhelmed as the rains worsen. Emerald offers guidance and cryptic clues as the children race to harness their powers. While the tale is richly grounded in Vietnamese cultural elements the fusion of mythology invented geography and modern touches such as social media high speed trains and airports can feel disorienting. At times magic is used almost as convenience resulting in moments that feel underdeveloped. Still the novel adeptly maintains its emotional stakes through a unique cultural lens sympathetic characters and the resonant theme of kids working to save the world. Nguyen’s manga-style illustrations brim with warmth and color.

“I have this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny” reports young narrator Charlie—and not for the first time. (Fans of this series—book and TV—will know that this is Charlie’s regular opener.) Although it’s only September Lola is eagerly awaiting Christmas. Charlie tries to instill patience in Lola but there’s no putting her off her mission: She writes her Christmas cards in October and decorates the house in November. The siblings (pale-skinned with as ever chicly floppy blond wisps of hair) have a rapport right out of a classic-comedy script with Charlie as straight man to adorably prone-to-misunderstandings Lola. (Charlie on Advent-calendar doors: “If you don’t open them ALL Christmas can’t come.” Lola: “So if I open all of the doors…AT ONCE will Christmas come then?”) Readers will likely share Charlie’s bemusement with his sister’s shtick and idiosyncratic reasoning (typical Lola logic: “Double 5 is 55”) which is key as the story doesn’t have much of an arc. As always Child’s unmistakable and innovative mixed-media art finds the book’s paper doll–esque human figures alongside paper- and photo-collage elements cartoonishly simple renderings of objects and a font that slants arches and loops making it another essential graphic feature.

The movies are literally in Hollywood screenwriter/producer Johnny Washington’s DNA as the grandson of Mazelle Washington a legendary Black actress from the 1920s to the ’40s who as with such comparably gifted peers as Hattie McDaniel was consigned to playing comedic servant roles during the studio system’s golden age which coincided with the beginning of the steep too-slow decline of racially segregated Jim Crow America. Johnny who’s been fighting his own uphill battles with racially blinkered studio mavens in today’s presumably more enlightened era has inherited the frayed but cozy remnants of Bear Creek Lodge a ski resort near Northern California’s Mount Shasta which Mazelle owned and operated as a 1950s getaway spot for Black celebrities like Lena Horne and Sammy Davis Jr. who despite their star power were shunned from similar establishments. Despite his fraught relationship with Mazy in her years of embittered semiretirement Johnny appreciates being able to head to the mountains for rest and relaxation with his university professor wife Tasha and their teen daughters Sharise and Imani. Both girls have to varying degrees inherited their grandmother’s energy and verve. Their mother unbeknownst to them or their dad is researching a book on Mazy’s tumultuous life. As they all settle in for what already seems a tense holiday amid the unrelenting Shasta snows something big strange and scary lurks just beyond their immediate sight leaving bizarre and alarmingly blood-soaked evidence of death and destruction. Through flashbacks masterfully woven throughout the novel by the redoubtable storyteller Due this enthralling hybrid of showbiz history supernatural mystery and nail-biting adventure in the wild spins a chilling enlightening and ultimately heartrending saga of generational trauma thwarted dreams and familial devotion.

Jax has faced some truly creepy creatures in previous episodes but none compares with the mysterious Wraith Queen—who has somehow escaped confinement through the otherworldly Doors of Gold and Bone. Wielding ropes of viciously thorny vines and other deadly flora she’s set out on a mad campaign of general destruction—all this just as his magic middle school’s version of SATs are coming up too. While sending his young hero from the City of Spirits to Ireland in search of uncanny allies of legend Mbalia barrages him with difficult tests from magical practice duels in class to troubling debates about who’s on which side in the larger conflict. As events rush toward a desperate climactic battle readers may wish for more scenes of Jax at school where the meat loaf surprise at lunch actually shouts “Surprise!” (thanks to a mischievous student’s prank). The unfolding horror of the Wraith Queen and her schemes come to the forefront crowding out subplots. But even as Jax emerges as a true hero in this world his dives into the realms of both Irish and West African folk mythology along with contacts with his own African American ancestors and heritage leave him firmly rooted in the spiritual one too.

In a society fueled by the ever-present need for more says author and entrepreneur Balak it’s nearly impossible to know what’s enough. She calls this concept—this “belief that more will solve everything”—“chasing enough.” But according to the author chasing enough is a perilous cycle that traps even the most successful people; the harder one works toward “enough” the further one actually gets from it. In fact “high achievers are running on fumes mistaking exhaustion for excellence” resulting in not only burnout but self-abandonment. Balak compares one’s capacity to a container; everyone has finite space to hold the physical emotional mental relational and financial demands of a busy life. The book is built around 11 lessons that explore the toxic patterns that keep “high achievers stuck in the cycle of proving performing and perpetually moving the goal post.” Each chapter ends with a “Well-Resourced Checkpoint” consisting of “reflection questions exercises and practices” to keep readers on track toward a life of fulfillment and joy. Mantras prompts challenges and other ideas to stay balanced fill these pages alongside real-life anecdotes from the life of a high-powered high achiever. Readers will learn about and practice strategies to surround themselves with a system of support establish boundaries say no and make space for their true selves among countless other tips and tricks to achieve balance and find joy in the enough. Balak writes with thoughtful and intentional purpose; each sentence is carefully crafted and integral to the process of achieving sustainable success. Her personal stories are powerful—and sometimes even shocking—yet still applicable to any high-achieving reader. The book is visually straightforward and easy to follow despite the vast quantity of information being presented. One particular area of Balak’s plan to “Get Real Get Clear Get Resourced and Get Moving” may leave readers wanting more: The checkpoints at the end of each chapter while helpful are limited. Still Balak offers an experienced and comprehensive map toward a life free from overwork.

Hundreds of years after making a deal with the devil Effie MacLeod has settled into her role as one of Hell’s most loyal acolytes—well as long as you don’t count that recent interference with another demon’s contract in The Devil She Knows (2025). Effie can’t afford another slip-up so when Belphegor a powerful prince of Hell proposes they marry she doesn’t hesitate to accept believing it’ll bring her one step closer to getting back on Lucifer’s good side. Unfortunately though Belphegor’s proposal is flagged by the Office of Internal Infernal Affairs which confirms that Effie has an existing marriage contract that needs to be broken. Back in the 16th century a mortal Effie and her Scottish husband Finn MacDonald made vows to love each other in every lifetime. While Effie has had hundreds of years to forget the promise she once made Finn has been reincarnated over and over with no memory of his past life. To tie the knot with Belphegor Effie will have to track Finn down in small-town Georgia and convince him to renounce their ancient marriage vows. Though Effie reveals her true nature to him from the beginning Finn is determined to recall their shared history since he’s been having vivid dreams of a woman who bears a striking resemblance to her for years. Effie and Finn have an undeniable connection despite the centuries that have passed which allows both characters to grapple with the potential drawbacks of pursuing a relationship. Effie worries that embracing her emotions means she’s losing her edge as a demon but Finn’s kindness and vulnerability wear down her defenses allowing her to come to terms with the truth that love can be a source of great strength. While the most personal high-stakes obstacle to a happily-ever-after is resolved a bit too handily the story’s strong emotional throughline is what makes Bellefleur’s latest novel resonate.

Robert Beaujolais is a 33-year-old ex-Marine who becomes a well paid contract killer—an arbiter he calls himself—because “life post-discharge was skull-gouge boring.” Committing grisly murder comes to him easily and without emotion because death is just a way to make a living. His one show of affection is toward fellow ex-Marine Benjamin Stephenson his lover and only friend. Beauj receives his assignments from “Uncle” who instructs him to kill Massimo Di Giovanni the “archangel of Florence.” The target is “by any conception or definition of the word untouchable.” That’s at the core of the action. A couple of times Beauj is compared to Jason Bourne an undeserved flattery; the Ludlum hero is sympathetic and Beauj is not. He’s more like the Gray Man exulting in spilling blood: “A pâté of teeth lips and tongue exploded.” Yeah man. “Cordite. This is what God smells like.” A woman named Gianna urges him on saying “I am asking you to transform into the devil” but he’s there already. The writing itself is vivid and often playful for example “Playing music off his phone a lava flow of decelerated rap that sounded like it was bubbling through tar” and “You are not Italian. Life is only the period between funerals.” There are also short untranslated paragraphs in Italian which readers will either understand suss out or ignore: “Che cazzo ne sai vecchio caprone?” “Più di te stronza amareggiata.” This is a sharp exchange and they’re not talking about having a spot of tea. So on the plus side there’s a strong plot that moves to a high-powered conclusion. On the minus side there is not a single character to care about. All right maybe poor Benny who shows touches of complexity. But Beauj’s soul may as well have been crushed by a steamroller.

At Village Blend in New York’s Greenwich Village Clare Cosi and her team of baristas serve up only the best brews using fresh-ground beans sourced by Matt Allegro her globe-trotting ex-husband. So it’s no surprise that when rising young culinary star Ava Welsh decides to throw a birthday bash for her boyfriend session musician Ryan Riggs she chooses Village Blend to provide the catering. Of course it doesn’t hurt that Ava is childhood best friends with Clare’s daughter Joy. But the party held at a hip boutique hotel with a killer view of the Hudson River turns into a disaster. The birthday cake provided by an exclusive bakery is decorated with an obscene message. Joy locks herself in the restroom and refuses to talk to either of her parents. A stressed-out Ava repairs the damaged confection but no one gets to taste it because an uninvited guest falls to her death from the balcony and the police suspect Ryan of giving her a fatal push. From that point on it’s a complicated cat-and-mouse game with Clare trying to find the runaway Ryan before the police while searching for clues to the dead woman’s identity and looking for a motive that would pin the crime on anyone but Ryan. Coyle makes good use of her Greenwich Village locale including a sneak peek into Electric Lady Studios Jimi Hendrix’s old stomping grounds. But focusing on the younger set and their hipster ways (who else would think to use an old spice mill to grind up some single-origin beans while running from the cops?) deprives readers of the chance to enjoy Clare’s redoubtable ex-mother-in-law Blanche Dreyfus Allegro Dubois whose zest comes from true joie de vivre rather than cappuccino.

Everyone has noticed a shift in Toby but she lashes out when others try to help. After botching her art assignment and then trashing it Toby shouts down her art teacher and receives lunchtime detention. There she meets two other students Layla and Reed whom she treats with the same rudeness she’s been showing to everyone else. Just before they’re all done serving their time their art teacher storms in to accuse Toby of sneaking out of detention and destroying her classmates’ canvases. Toby’s parents will be there at day’s end for a conference to discuss consequences. Layla and Reed know Toby is innocent and after lunch they all start an investigation to prove she had nothing to do with the crime. While the narrative’s resolution stretches credulity seeing Toby work together with her new friends to find the actual culprit is satisfying. Her parents handle her distress with love and reassurance providing a potential roadmap for families dealing with similar issues (it turns out Toby’s angst is rooted in family problems). The bright bold illustrations are reminiscent of the animated series Steven Universe; paired with the empathetic story and writing it’s a winning combination. Toby is pale-skinned Layla is brown-skinned and Reed is tan-skinned; their school is diverse.

Sara is headed to her aunts’ quiet island home while her parents go on a research trip. She’s unenthused about the impending isolation—her friends are together at theater camp and she’s moving away from them in the fall. Taiwanese American Sara arrives at the dock and her maternal Aunt Bea rows their boat through heavy fog. After they pass through it her aunts’ dogs start speaking to her: “Whew finally!!!…We’ve heard so much about you!” The two dogs are friendly and loquacious—ideal island guides. Between the garden chicken coop scenic bluff secret cave and cherished canine stick collection there’s lots to explore and Sara gradually settles into summer’s rhythms. She solves a dilemma for the chatty chickens weathers a dangerous storm (and helps clean up afterward) learns to handle the rowboat and gauges the island’s mood by its breezes. The talking animals and the landscape’s animistic aspects are magical but the story’s most enchanting quality is its gentle focus on living in harmony with nature and the pleasures of an unplugged device-free existence. Sara’s self-reliance grows quietly but steadily as summer passes and by the end she’s beautifully changed. Aunt Bea is portrayed with a larger body and her partner Aunt Meg appears white. Tetri’s expressive simply drawn characters move about the idyllic island which glows with a peaceful palette of greens blues and golds.

Twelve-year-old Jordi Acosta wasn’t ready for puberty to make him significantly taller and heavier than his classmates. The self-conscious sixth grader strives to avoid attracting extra attention. He’s a quiet witty and likable protagonist—a sweet kid who’s content sharing riddles with his Cuban immigrant Abuelito and watching bestie Ximena Morales speak out on important issues like book banning. This spring break instead of helping at Papi’s carpentry shop he’ll be working at the refuge run by his wildlife biologist mother. Jordi expects it to be boring—but then he has a heart-pounding run-in with the gigantic legendary and surprisingly relatable Rey the Bear King who turns out to be gentle and playful despite his size just like Jordi himself. Mami confesses that she’s secretly been hiding cryptids—creatures drawn from Latine and Texan folklore—on the wildlife refuge to keep them safe from those who may wish to harm them. Soon Jordi and his friends discover that a ruthless natural gas company has been damaging property to incentivize landowners to sell while setting up the cryptids to take the blame. Danger suspense and surprise twists ensue as Jordi forces himself to both use his physical stature and find his voice in order to protect his friends—human and cryptid alike.