What is a refugee? While the simple answer—“a person fleeing their country to find safety”—is true it only scratches the surface. This volume adds clear historical context. In the first three chapters readers glean facts about refugees in the U.S. and examine global causes and responses and the social impact of displacement. The book offers reasons why people are forced to flee and how the world is responding to this ongoing humanitarian challenge including the United Nations’ role in assisting refugees. The final three chapters turn toward solutions highlighting caring for refugees community integration and long-term strategies for change. A standout feature of this book are the six sections that pose a central question—such as “Does the world community fully support refugees?”—which is followed by opposing perspectives (for example “wealthier countries are playing their part” vs. “wealthy countries are not taking enough responsibility”). Readers are then invited to form their own opinions through critical reflection. The book concludes by questioning how it might feel to become a refugee and suggests we as citizens can do our part to address this crisis. The color photographs throughout depicting the realities of displacement are powerful without resorting to shock value helping readers engage with empathy and awareness.

Sanderson’s initial presentation of her subject is positive. She differentiates among types of social media observing that online platforms have “opened up new career opportunities” “enabled people to connect” and allowed “people to leave reviews of products or companies.” China has its “own versions” of social media (there’s no mention of censorship). The statement that algorithms are a “little like librarians” is simplistic and misleading. Sanderson warns readers about some drawbacks including peer pressure deteriorating real-world social skills cyberbullying deepfakes scams and identity theft. The final section describes specific ways to use social media safely and what to do if you’re a victim. The last spread outlines the principles of good digital citizenship. Despite some cautions the book dances around serious issues like echo chambers manipulation of the electorate and radicalization through hate speech. Readers also aren’t warned strongly enough about fake reviews or the improbability of influencing as a career nor are they reminded that they are the product. The focus is on individual users’ responsibility with little attention to industry or government regulation. The writing is accessible; sidebars highlight key pieces of information and chapter summaries provide easy takeaways. Portions of this book are repeated sometimes verbatim in Sanderson’s Dealing With Cyberbullying (2026).

Promising to “take the mystery out of money and the fear away from finances” Sanderson begins with a broad overview of job sectors that are open to teens including retail food service babysitting tutoring lawn care lifeguarding and reselling items online. She then goes on to detail common payroll deductions which leads into a discussion of taxes and retirement investments. All this information is presented in easily digestible blocks of narrative interspersed with stock photos of a racially diverse cast of smiling young workers with summaries at each short chapter’s end. As a formula the approach seems intended not to offer anything like a comprehensive set of options and expenses but to ease readers into thinking about how they’re going to make money as they move into adulthood and smart things to do with their earnings while providing some specialized vocabulary (Form 1099 capital gains tax) that may prove helpful. The author closes by urging her audience to take a long view in planning for the future to be careful with debts and credit cards and to understand that financially speaking life “is full of surprises.”

“You may not realize it but lenders don’t just hand out money it always comes at a price.” Should a guide to credit cards and loans be any less direct? This book which is chock-full of practical advice around how to pay bills on time shop using discounts and cut back on spending to meet one’s budget is a helpful toolbox for fledgling young adult consumers. Sanderson acknowledges credit card rewards and perks but offers more frequent warnings about the consequences of credit misuse. Following the primer on credit cards is a section about all kinds of loans including installment personal auto student and mortgage. The book covers snowball and avalanche methods of paying off debt along with debt consolidation. Photos graphics and text boxes appear throughout breaking up the chunks of text into digestible nuggets. Recap pages helpfully remind readers of the main ideas they’ve encountered in each section providing a handy lifeline for readers who may blanch at financial concepts vocabulary and equations for figuring out interest. A warning about raising one’s credit limit raises a minor contradiction over advice about credit utilization ratios but otherwise this is a sound manual for getting one’s bearings about debt.

It may seem premature to promote careers in wildlife conservation in an appeal aimed at a younger primary-grade audience but Eason forges ahead anyway. She addresses “mission-ready” readers in her introduction and finishes with lines of relevant work from trained scientist to field guide filmmaker and even public relations specialist. In between she engagingly positions chimpanzees as our closest living relatives intelligent and feeling. The author tallies a range of threats to their existence from human-spread diseases poaching for bushmeat and the effects of climate change to habitat loss due to logging agriculture and mining. Though the pages are crowded with boxes of bite-size narrative close-up photos of chimps with cameos of gorillas pygmy hippos and other forest neighbors are wedged in to add visual appeal. Smiling “Kids on a Mission” pop into view periodically to suggest hands-on ways of supporting conservation efforts; a bulleted “Take Action” list offers further ideas. The generous backmatter includes age-appropriate resources as well as leads to career-oriented websites.

Addressing like the other volumes in this series “mission-ready” younger readers Eason surveys threats ranging from modern whaling to climate change abandoned fishing nets and plastics pollution. She supplements an overview of conservation-related careers with vignettes featuring children who describe personal actions such as small-scale beach cleanups. Messy page design impedes the presentation; a jumble of text boxes some askew in various hues are placed on each spread over color photos of different sorts of whales—and also other threatened varieties of sea life mostly mammals. Still all the glimpses of appealingly posed whales whale babies and other animals will crank up reader empathy and the twin messages come through clearly enough of the pressing need for action and that we can all do our part from making simple changes in our daily behavior to pursuing actual jobs in the field. Most of the appended websites are career-oriented but the backmatter also includes resources for the intended younger audience.

This short introduction to anime like the genre itself diverges in many directions. Six chapters highlight aspects of the industry beginning with “The Anime Renaissance” a chapter establishing the contemporary context of Japanese animation. The author argues that anime is central to Japanese culture; the robot cat Doraemon holds an official government position as “anime ambassador.” Internationally the streaming service Crunchyroll has played a huge part in bringing anime to viewers outside Japan. Later chapters explore stylistic features of anime the world of anime voice acting anime’s influence on international animation culture cosplay and 2.5D adaptations of animated shows as live-action plays. The final chapter on fan culture centers on the ongoing popularity of Pokémon video games and trading cards and the growing worldwide demand for licensed character merchandise. Overall this work feels incomplete and the audience is unclear. There are curiosity-inducing points that will encourage deeper research but for an introductory reference guide it assumes more knowledge than readers new to the topic may have and lacks the robust historical perspective and artistic analysis that would make it a stronger resource. Each chapter is loosely organized; end-of-chapter summaries would have supported greater comprehension of the material. For young anime fans this work only scratches the surface.

“Delaware may be small but its criminal history contains multitudes” writes Tabler at the outset of his narrative of the Diamond State’s seamy underbelly. “These stories span a spectrum—from blood-chilling murders that haunted generations to curious capers lost in dusty archives from soul-crushing injustices that demanded reform to schemes so preposterous they strain credulity.” Tabler takes his readers through the gamut of the seediest misdeeds from statewide scandals involving prominent politicians and other public figures to grotesque local murders all drawn from state lore extending well over a century. He tells readers about Noah Benson whose headless body was found in 1891 in the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal sparking a sensational murder trial that filled the headlines of all the local papers (the head was never found). A more contemporary account outlines the sexual predation of pediatrician Dr. Earl Bradley who in the 1990s abused dozens of children (a nurse claimed that he “made girls undress before routine exams kissed and hugged them and remarked about attractive mothers”). Tabler mentions that state Attorney General Beau Biden wanted Bradley’s offices “wiped off the face of the earth.” In most cases Tabler offers larger lessons to be learned. For example about bigamist clergyman Irvin Taylor who had a deserted wife in Delaware while he was an upstanding married man in Iowa Tabler writes “The scandal exposed something more universal: the ease with which a man entrusted with moral and spiritual leadership could live a lie in plain sight.”

A less talented writer might have assumed that the salacious nature of this kind of history would do most of the heavy lifting as far as entertaining readers but Tabler knows better. He turns the history he’s researched into good stories and often contextualizes it; regarding lawyer-turned-murderer Thomas Capano he writes: “The once-powerful attorney who had manipulated the highest echelons of Delaware politics—and believed himself untouchable—died alone in a prison infirmary. It was a final ignominious chapter in his fall from grace.” The author also delves deep into specifics aided by both his vast research and his sharp ear for great quotes plucked from regional publications as when Delaware’s newspaper Every Evening wryly commented on customers who persisted in drinking backwoods moonshine even after the state’s Liquor Commission issued beer-making licenses: “Tell the nation that instantaneous death would result from pulling the lobe of the left ear four times in rapid succession and the undertakers would do a big business.” He’s equally adept at highlighting either absurd dark humor or savage tragedy depending on the nature of the horror he’s describing and his choices give the book a fine feeling of balance and depth. He tells the story of a constable named Brown found throttling Wilmington’s mayor in 1891 (“Yes I grabbed him by the throat” the constable evenly said “but he grabbed me first”) with as much storyteller commitment as he does the many con artists who’ve targeted the most vulnerable throughout the state’s history. It’s all done with energy and detail; true crime fans and Delaware history buffs will be delighted.

With an introductory reference to severe flooding in South Asia Schroeder notes the increasing incidence of natural disasters across the world including in areas with no prior history of them. She explains the impact of growing amounts of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution connecting the dots between the resulting rise in global temperatures that affects biodiversity precipitation crop patterns and human health and the loss of homes livelihoods and food security. Coastal cities are under threat of flooding as sea levels rise and the fate of small island nations like Kiribati looks grim. The book underscores the responsibility of wealthier nations to fight the impending crisis—their actions generate a disproportionate amount of global emissions—and describes some ways that countries are adapting to the impacts of the changing climate. The crisp text and structured flow make this an informative and accessible read. The book features stock photographs but unfortunately lacks diagrams and other visual representations of the information presented. A short list of suggested actions offers young readers ways to be involved in movements to reduce climate change while making no mention of how their consumption patterns directly relate to the worsening situation.

This compact volume filled with ample color photographs supports readers with the context they need to appreciate manga and develop deeper knowledge of it. Bolte begins by offering historical and cultural information diving right into manga’s origins the growth in the market and its recent boom in popularity. She explains that reading manga engages the brain because readers employ multimodal learning (reading looking at illustrations and “pairing the actions with sound effects”). Its impact can be measured by the significant percentage of the print and digital publishing sales it represents both in Asia (where most manga is sold) and elsewhere (France is the next largest market). Teaching readers how the industry works this guide explains the grueling hustle of the mangaka (the creators behind beloved series); Eiichiro Oda the author and illustrator of ONE PIECE faces fan criticism when he takes breaks. The first AI-generated manga was published in 2023 using art created by an author who had never done any drawing and revealing the technology’s shortcomings. The book covers some non-Japanese mangaka—for example Odunze Whyte Oguguo from Nigeria and Peppe from Italy—as well as cultural influences on manga (such as Buddhist elements) and manga’s influence on fashion (including cosplay). The conversational tone short chapters and bright visuals will appeal to those interested in a jumping-off point for learning more about this topic.

The book opens with stark examples of climate-driven disasters: the $113 billion toll Hurricane Ian took in 2021 and the global impact of Canada’s lethal 2023 wildfires. Andra poses the core question: “What exactly is climate change?” and answers with scientific rigor. She distinguishes short-term weather from long-term climate and draws on paleoclimatology to contrast natural vs. human-driven climate change. She accessibly unpacks key determinants of climate: the Coriolis effect from Earth’s rotation albedo (how surfaces reflect or absorb solar energy) and the disruptive impact of industrial revolutions. Without alarmism Andra shows how NASA climate scientist James Hansen’s decades-old warnings about the impact of human activity are becoming reality. She illustrates climate change’s dire societal and ecological toll. The final section looks ahead detailing global organizations and governmental policies that address climate change. Andra highlights the power of achievable effective individual actions such as reducing food waste and joining community action groups. She leaves readers with hope pointing to Norway’s 98% renewably sourced electricity and Fiji’s unexpected coral reef recovery as signs of progress and resilience. Andra writes with clarity and conviction and her deep knowledge and genuine urgency shine through offering a heartfelt unifying call to action. Ample photos a colorful page design and clear subheadings add to the work’s appeal.

Hunter devotes most of this book to explaining the nature and origins of drug wars and the consequences of such wars on individuals and society. The final two chapters outline potential solutions. Beginning with then-President Richard Nixon’s 1971 declaration of war the author discusses the physical mental and socioeconomic costs of drugs and of drug wars. Descriptions of the international and industrial scale of the problem and the involvement of quasi-military gangs and militias appear before a two-page spread asking readers to ponder opposing viewpoints about whether the drug supply can realistically be stopped. Hunter examines anti-drug laws before providing another debate page on treatment vs. punishment as approaches to addiction. Other debate pages pose questions like “Is drug violence more damaging than drugs?” and “Do drug wars increase racial inequality?” The text boxes labeled “What Do You Think?” that follow each debate invite readers to engage with the topics but Hunter largely avoids citing statistics or studies that would bolster the arguments. This absence risks simply allowing readers to confirm their existing beliefs without weighing complicated evidence. Still the simple straightforward prose and scrupulously neutral presentation of opposing viewpoints make this a useful introductory resource.

As Sanderson explains possibilities for experiencing harm online are everywhere: Social media gaming platforms chatrooms and bulletin boards allow friends and strangers to inflict hurt. Much of the book describes flaming trolling outing doxxing and other types of cyberbullying. Clear bullet-pointed lists in sidebars labeled “Teen Need To Know” and “How To Survive Online” help with identifying and responding to bullying; tips offer hope and practical steps to support readers. Sanderson delves into the wide societal and personal (psychological and physical) costs of such behavior. She addresses what to do if you’re a victim bystander parent or even perpetrator. Understanding cyberbullies’ motives can help victims cope. Potential consequences and methods of protection take up the last quarter of the book. Sanderson’s focus is on individual responsibility: She briefly suggests that regulations might help reduce such behavior citing government legislation in the U.S. and abroad and media companies’ own efforts (although she doesn’t give the latter much close scrutiny). The final pages outline basic digital citizenship standards. Brevity chapter summaries varied typefaces and colors ample photos and a conversational writing style make this difficult subject more approachable. Some of the information is repeated throughout so that even casual browsing is likely to be informative.

While tallying a few general types of scams and other cybercrimes and citing a few high-profile examples Sanderson familiarizes readers with some relevant vocabulary—like the difference between spear phishing clone phishing and angler phishing—and adds basic pointers on for instance not giving out personal information or friending strangers confirming that charities are legitimate and scrutinizing online retail sites. She emphasizes the vast scale of cybercrime cites the (possibly surprising to readers) statistic that people under age 20 disproportionately fall victim to it and urges those who have been scammed to gather evidence talk to a trusted adult and report incidents to the appropriate authorities. The final section “Be a Responsible Digital Citizen” offers helpful general guidelines to live by. While the approach is somewhat bland the repetition of information supports striving readers and all teens should come away more aware that there are some bad clever actors out there—and what to do about them. Ample stock photos showing diverse young people including a wheelchair user add visual interest and the varied layout with information clearly labeled with headers and pulled out in text boxes breaks the information down into manageable chunks.

Francine the narrator and protagonist of this chaotic stew of a historical novel is (in Kurt Vonnegut’s memorable phrase) “unstuck in time.” And that’s the least of it. Francine bounces all around history popping up in various times and places though chronologically she does have a home—sometime in the 17th century in her little traveling box on a ship that has left Amsterdam and is sailing to destinations unknown. She is with her “Poppà” who may or may not be René Descartes (as she later claims). It’s important to note that Poppà is French and a brilliant mathematician but also a lousy poet. And Francine is actually a very cleverly fashioned automaton all the rage in that era. But somehow Francine actually acquires a soul and comes to life rather like Pygmalion’s Galatea. If there is an intellectual basis to the story here it is Friedrich Nietzsche’s theory of eternal return: the idea that one’s life could be on something like a never-ending loop. For obvious reasons Francine is a big believer in “I think therefore I am” though perhaps it should be “I talk therefore I am” because talk she does flitting from one memory to another like a drunken hummingbird.

But Francine is not just a good talker. She helped Walt Whitman nurse Civil War soldiers in Washington D.C. She was at Trinity Site for the detonation of the first atomic bomb and in Paris at the time of the Terror. She was at Salem for the witch trials. She even makes scathing comments about Donald Trump: “I should know my enemy.” In an anecdote that stands alone B.F. Skinner’s daughter takes her on a wild motorcycle ride—that’s how random this novel can be. None of this seems to confirm the Nietzschean eternal recurrence supposition exactly only that Francine has a free pass to roam through time and make trenchant judgments and observations. But at some point the reader will wonder just where all of this is leading. Early on Francine says “Mysteries are only confusing when you think about them.” Right. So we are invited to go along for the ride and learn about her love life (she’s bi-) and witness many random historical cameos (Emily Dickinson Charles Bukowski Alan Turing Camus and Sartre) while a storm rages at sea and the sailors on this ship to nowhere begin to suspect as 17th-century sailors will that this so-called automaton—Poppà and Francine sequester themselves in their cabin but the sailors can hear them talking—is in fact a witch who of course needs to be thrown overboard to placate the weather. Finally when Francine is hoisted aloft by the angry sailors facing a fate that is still unclear she is still talking still philosophizing. Although Taylor asks a lot of his readers in terms of attention span and suspended disbelief there are intermittent rewards throughout the novel if one is patient enough to find them.

The author introduces the hero’s journey highlighting the importance of conflict. In an example using the film Titanic Emmrich notes that the movie would be nothing without the iceberg. He then demonstrates how to graph a life story using the STARR (Situation Task Action Result Reflection) framework to discover advantageous patterns and avoid mistakes. The guide contrasts natural laws (e.g. people must eat to survive) with “man-made rules” (a rigid work schedule set by a boss) to help readers differentiate between fixed and flexible goals. Emmrich explains how expectations shape what’s achievable (“Are you working on the correct tasks or are you working correctly but on the wrong tasks?”). To counteract learned helplessness and causal attributions the author advises identifying exceptions that have led to positive results. He also describes the role of “co-authors” including loved ones and how others’ agendas can hijack a life script. The guide details innate assigned and self-selected social roles and how to shift from role-taking to role-making. Emmrich promises that “before long you’ll be crowning your own life script with your personal happy ending.” This thought-provoking book offers insight into failure by analyzing past decisions and suggests ways to course-correct through reframing. Concepts are cleverly named such as “The Astronaut Method” which involves viewing problems from a distant emotionally detached perspective. The book’s four-level goals model (learning behavioral outcome and role goals) demonstrates how consistent habits garner results. The modern colorful graphic design translates abstract ideas into visuals that are easy to grasp and implement. However some of the metaphors feel strained like the suggestion that everyone carries a “diamond necklace” of life stories in which adverse experiences can be polished into brilliant gems. The book also downplays the systemic barriers that influence outcomes.

This compact volume part of a series that includes Budgeting Jobs and Taxes and Loans and Credit consists of four chapters: “Why Money Matters” “The Basics of Saving” “Where and Why To Save” and “How To Save in the Future.” The author opens by explaining why it’s important to possess solid financial skills and describing the challenges teens face: Many have received no formal instruction in this area and admit to relying on social media as a source of information. Eason’s advice runs along standard-issue lines like automatically diverting 10-20% of all income into savings and making some provision for “life’s financial curve balls.” She recommends financial apps to help with things like goal setting. The book explains compound interest and inflation making a case for saving early and often. Practical advice—“always read the small print before choosing an account”—is peppered throughout and tempered with realism—“as a teen it is unlikely that you’ll be able to save a significant amount of the money that you’ll need for college.” A chart explaining compound interest uses an interest rate of 50% which may mislead readers about what to expect in real life. The book closes with a glimpse of future goals such as buying a home and putting money into a pension. Stock illustrations show racially diverse young people.

The popularity of anime and manga which are made for audiences of all ages reaches around the world. Chapters 1 and 2 focus on the development of the industries associated with anime and manga starting with the rise of book printing on a mass scale in the early 1700s and the publication of collections of drawings by the famous artist Hokusai such as Hokusai’s Manga (1814). Bolte details how trade war and natural disasters all influenced the spread production and content of early magazines and animation. The next three chapters discuss publishing demographics genres successful series and how fans around the world engage with each other and the industry. For a title focused on visual media this introduction offers a surprisingly wordy layout and sparse imagery. The photos that are included have a generic quality that’s exacerbated by captions that provide limited context or logical connection. Compared to more robust sections of the book the breakdown of genres is merely a list of unannotated titles. While the book may hold the attention of readers who are already interested in the topic its initial focus on history and global popularization is less likely to draw in new viewers and readers.

“The time is now. Climate change will impact everyone on Earth.” With this urgent declaration Schroeder emphasizes the necessity of immediate strategies to slow global warming and mitigate its effects on the planet. She identifies human-caused greenhouse gases as a primary culprit and asserts that the most effective responses focus on reducing these emissions. The book opens by addressing the energy sector—“transportation heat and electricity buildings manufacturing and construction”—which accounts for 75% of global greenhouse gases. The subsequent short chapters explore carbon capture and storage technologies sustainable agriculture thrifting and recycling and practical daily measures such as purchasing energy-efficient appliances and growing one’s own food. Text boxes provide added context from the history of electric vehicles to explanations of carbon cap and trade systems and farmer’s markets offering readers deeper insights without overwhelming the approachable and engaging central narrative. Clearly captioned photos break up the text nicely. The author doesn’t just cover important factual information but also exhorts readers to join the movement for a healthier planet. The conclusion underscores the positive message that “individual actions are very important in fighting climate change.”