Patricia is a middle-aged single mother whose newlywed only daughter Ashley died after being denied a medically necessary abortion. Ashley’s husband David is suing Ashley’s doctor the hospital and the hospital’s lawyer Brenda Phillips who plans to run for office on a conservative pro-life platform. Patricia plans a more drastic action: murder. But when she uses a stolen identity to become the Phillips family’s housekeeper Brenda’s uncaring behavior toward her young children sparks Patricia’s motherly instincts giving rise to conflicted feelings about her intentions. A second plotline involves Brenda’s high-school sweetheart John Petersen now a male-chauvinist religious fanatic who believes murder is justifiable to save the unborn. A third thread is devoted to Lisette “Lizzie” Vaughn a private investigator (Lizzie and her assistant Murphy Green a Black trans ex-cop have their own complicated backstories) and a fourth follows Isabella Ramirez a single mother with a heart condition who believes her unplanned second pregnancy could kill her (and whose wimpy ex-husband Wyatt has joined John’s group of radical anti-abortionists). The various strands converge when Isabella and her young daughter Nina go missing and her friend Ethan calls Lizzie rather than go to the police (“A young woman should be sympathetic to the plight of a woman whose pregnancy could kill her”). The novel brings together a memorable cast of characters to highlight the potentially deadly consequences of “pro-life” activism as the narrative alternates between the points of view of Patricia Lizzie John Isabella Brenda and others. Each character sees only part of the picture resulting in multiple vectors of suspense that keep the reader hooked. Additionally seeing each character’s actions through their own individual lenses provides a more nuanced consideration of the social and moral issues that drive their decisions and actions. Manning presents complicated heroes with dark sides and villains who while they are less multi-dimensional also have redeeming qualities. The portrayals of Lizzie and Murphy suggest they might be poised for further adventures.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was as Brown explains here “almost certainly the most lethal piece of legislation to ever clear Congress.” In reversing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and allowing slavery to expand into vast new western territories the act deepened divisions between North and South and pushed the country toward civil war. This engaging history first examines the precarious balance struck between sectional differences at the nation’s founding then charts its dramatic demolition in the mid-19th century. Brown offers revealing studies of central figures in this historical period from politicians Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln to authors and social commentators Harriet Beecher Stowe and Ralph Waldo Emerson to abolitionist activists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Particularly rewarding are the author’s analyses of Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and its indictment of “those various northern networks of complicity—merchants and insurers lawyers and creditors—that [kept] the business of bondage strong expansive and legal.” Emerson’s complex attitudes about racial differences are also given sensitive and revealing consideration: “Unable to grieve for a race he did not know Emerson ultimately entered the public outcry against slavery when he recognized the institution as an infringement of white freedom.” Another intriguing and persuasive feature of this book’s commentary is its suggestion that the polarized conditions of antebellum America parallel those of the contemporary moment. Brown’s ultimate conclusions are apt compelling and memorably expressed: “Ill served were the youth who came of age when a divided Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act in whose wake came a great reckoning the measured resonance of an original sin that had long shaken the country—and stirs through it still.”

New Yorker staff writer and journalism professor Lemann author of a previous title on the SAT (The Big Test) contributes to Princeton’s “Our Compelling Interests” series by addressing the problem of access to higher education. With some selective colleges and universities reinstating the standardized SAT as an admissions criterion (after dropping the requirement during the Covid-19 pandemic) and with the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action his examination is timely. Lemann’s detailed history of the development of the SAT first administered in 1926 depicts the test’s creators as aiming to create “a more democratically selected educated elite.” But he cites many studies to show that test scores are highly influenced by socioeconomic status therefore reinforcing class differences. Furthermore the SAT serves as a poor indicator of college success adding little to what is learned from the high school transcript. The SAT’s predictive ability he reveals is highest for the short term falling off over the full length of college. While arguing for tests that reflect learning and achievement rather than the SAT Lemann raises two overarching questions: What is meant by merit? What is the purpose of access to education? Only a minority of students go to selective colleges Lemann reveals: "The widespread administration of the SAT to millions of people in order to identify a relative handful to admissions officers at highly selective colleges" makes no sense. “The most obvious problem in American higher education today” he argues is "its failure to produce a more widely successful experience for most students.” Fulfilling that goal requires enacting aggressive reforms in the K-12 years geared to equipping “as many people as possible for as broad a set of life circumstances as possible.” Lemann’s cogent argument along with three responses from educators offers thoughtful reading for teachers and policymakers.

The Sender sisters Molly and Clara are surprisingly successful 18-year-old co-managers of a revived Yiddish theater on Second Avenue in Manhattan. That’s because they’re also more than a century old; Molly and Clara are Estries undead women from Ashkenazi lore who turn into blood-drinking monsters and can fly around on owls’ wings. They’ve done a good job of keeping their true identities a secret but of course new love interests complicate everything. Molly’s girlfriend Anat gets possessed by a dybbuk who might have ties to Molly’s past. Clara would insist that she doesn’t have feelings for Boaz their Syrian Jewish employee but his ability to see the dead and his family’s possession of a magic ring turn everyone’s world upside down. The plot becomes a bit rudderless once the action picks up in the various storylines circling around several loci but never quite making the stakes and motivations feel clear or urgent. Debut author Vishny’s writing is at times muddy but mostly unobtrusive and is most successful when re-creating scenes from older history. Overall the story excels at taking relatively hidden aspects of Jewish history contemporary community life and bubbe meises (or fables) and making them feel fresh and vibrant.

In order for Luna Gold and Aoife Walsh to date Luna must lift the Veil for Aoife allowing her to perceive the existence of magic. Luna a fat Black lesbian witch must also cast a memory spell that will cause Aoife a biracial (white and Black) bisexual mundane to forget about her if the two break up. But once the spells are cast a flood of memories comes back—and both girls realize they’ve dated before. So begins a cycle of meet-cutes and breakups in which Luna and Aoife seem destined to find each other—but also destined to be pulled apart. Meanwhile Aoife’s parents continue to cross her boundaries as they share information about her on their blog The Wonderful Walshes and pressure from Luna’s grandmother is mounting in anticipation of Luna’s taking her grandmother’s seat on the Witch Council. The girls are on a path to discovering whether they can make their relationship work but equally as pressing is whether they’ll be able to stand up to their families. There’s an authenticity to the teens’ sweeter moments as well as their moments of struggle. Chapters alternate between their first-person perspectives making for rich characterization that supports the action-filled storyline.

It all starts with a ham radio that Alice Lawrence and Artie fool around with in 1944 and Henry Frances and Lukas find in 2023. It’s late April and the 1944 kids worry about loved ones in combat while the 2023 kids study the war in school. When impossibly the radio allows the kids to communicate across time it doesn’t take long before they share information that changes history. Can the two sets of kids work across a 79-year divide to prevent the U.S.A. from becoming the Nazi-controlled dystopia of Westfallen? This propulsive thriller includes well-paced cuts between times that keep the pages turning. Like most people in their small New Jersey town Alice Artie and Frances are white. In 1944 Lawrence who’s Black endures bigotry; in the U.S.A. of 2023 Henry’s biracial (white and Black) identity and Lukas’ Jewish one are unremarkable but in Westfallen Henry’s a “mischling” doing “work-learning” and Lukas is a menial laborer. Alice’s and Henry’s dual first-person narration zooms in on the adventure but readers who pull back may find themselves deeply uneasy with the summary consideration paid to the real-life fates of European Jews and disabled people. The cliffhanger ending will have them hoping for more thoughtful treatment in sequels to come.

Nina who was introduced in the first book as a new addition to Ellie’s friend group hasn’t gelled equally with all the pals and is stirring up drama. The venue where Ellie’s friend Charlie wanted to hold her bat mitzvah party closed so she may not get to celebrate after the religious service. This leads Ellie to push for her family’s deli to add an event space which could save the day for Charlie and expand their business. With all the distractions in her life Ellie has totally lost focus on school—badly enough that her adviser has told her parents. The challenges Ellie faces feel a little more disjointed in this volume: The realistic nuance of Nina’s disruption to long-standing friendships seems to belong to a different story than the rosy collaboration of the event space project. As before the problems take some wrangling but all are completely resolved even if somewhat implausibly and instantaneously. Though the specifics of Ellie’s academic challenges remain fuzzy readers may take comfort in the practical organizational support that helps her get back on track after a rough start to sixth grade. Spot illustrations and occasional recipes break up the text contributing to the quick pace.

A Genizah is a place where worn-out religious books are kept until they get a proper burial; when death is everywhere and proper burial is no longer possible Karlin suggests everyone starts to live in a Genizah an in-between space. Inspired by his mother’s stories about life in Kolno Poland and her family’s subsequent reinvention in America Karlin’s heartfelt book asks “What if they had stayed?” Leaving becomes a focus of the main characters: Elazar a talented boxer and Rahel the daughter of a smuggler leave the small heavily Jewish town of Kolno on horseback together after Elazar leaves wealthy widow Rivka Mendl literally at the chupah. Rivka curses them as they leave and their troubles begin shortly thereafter when they learn the cost of getting to America. To fake your documents and get you a ticket gangsters like Leo Bombas will ask for anything—and do. With a beautiful horse named Argamaka in tow Rahel and Elazar decide to give up on their expatriate dream and return to Kolno. Their welcome is not warm; everyone thinks they should have gone. As they settle back into their lives the town starts to chatter about a possible German invasion. Kolno’s descent is swift as Polish neighbors are pitted against Jewish neighbors. Rahel and Elazar decide they must try to escape one last time. As history starts to unfold the author enters his pages: “I know what has to occur and this is not a folk tale nor a fairy tale; this is about what happened and what didn’t happen and what will keep happening.” The fact that we know how the story will end doesn’t make it any less emotionally devastating.

Canadian sixth grader Izzy Wong is ready for her next story. An aspiring reporter she’s been producing podcasts in order to hone her journalism skills. When a bathroom flood ruins everything in Ms. Berenstein’s classroom and several books in the library Izzy’s sure she can find an angle worth exploring. At first the flood seems to be the result of pipes that have fallen into disrepair. Soon however Izzy discovers that the flood was no accident; all four toilets in the girls’ bathroom were intentionally clogged and the staff seem to know more than they’re willing to reveal. As her podcast audience grows ambitious Izzy finds herself bending the rules of ethical reporting to keep everyone listening. With an age-appropriate love triangle multiple suspects and discussions about the difference between news and gossip Izzy’s investigation has much to keep young readers engaged. Careful descriptions of the technical side of podcasting and insights from Izzy’s broadcast journalist mother offer an entry point to anyone curious about following in Izzy’s footsteps. Though physical descriptions are limited the last name Wong suggests that Izzy is of Chinese descent.

This second visit to the Dogtown animal shelter brings back some familiar furry faces while introducing a new narrative perspective—that of one of the mice residing in the building’s rafters. Mouse enjoys lounging in the basement with the “unadoptable” pups among them Buster a “bounceback” who has been adopted several times but then been returned following a litany of tragicomic mishaps. There’s also Smokey the robot dog who (due to an error at the factory) randomly emits a tremendous misery-inducing smoke alarm sound. Saanvi and Owen kids from Dogtown’s Reading Buddies program also find their way to the basement where they spend time with these exiled animals. Growing mutual affection between the dogs and children leads Mouse to devise an ambitious plan to help the dogs get to the apartment building where Saanvi and Owen live in pursuit of a happy ending for all involved. The authors thoughtfully portray the growing relationships and moments of breakneck action culminate in a conclusion that pulls together a dizzying array of moving pieces. Mouse at times feels more like a literary device than an integral member of the Dogtown universe an element further emphasized by the frequent references to mouse-focused children’s classics. Final art not seen.

Bernadette Crowley’s family are an esteemed Missoula Montana clan of Irish American witches led by powerful and spirited Grandma Orla. But their specialty—using blood for summoning demons—has become more complicated since 13-year-old Ber’s diabetes diagnosis. Because she must prick her finger to check her glucose levels she’s begun summoning by accident. Big sister Maeve cooks up a plan to find a demon that can serve as a glucose monitor—but the girls get more than they bargained for in the form of Finley MacIntire a Mystery demon whose growing entwinement with Ber isn’t enough to stop a torrent of magical chaos in the wake of their arrival. Debut author Edge uses space that could have been spent building intriguing relationships among the characters or expanding on Ber’s characterization to focus on details of the complex lore of witch culture that slow the story’s momentum. Nevertheless the ways in which Ber’s diabetes interact with her powers are resonant and her combative prickly dynamics with Fin are enjoyable. Ber’s world expands as she begins to come into her own in regard to being both fat and diabetic. She relishes new bonds with other magical kids and through these interactions Edge interrogates the prejudices inherent in a system of hereditary magic and explores how new generations can end them. The escalating adventure will leave readers curious about events to come in future series entries.

Little Wolf can’t howl right much to her siblings’ amusement. They tell her she’s adorable but she’s determined to prove she’s just as fierce as they are. When she turns around and realizes she’s all alone she’s reminded of her mother’s advice: “If you get lost…find North.” And so Little Wolf sets off in search of that vague place asking for help along the way. Whale shows her how to swim. Goose confuses her with a warning of the harsh and unforgiving North before teaching her how to fly (well jump) while Bear sets her straight and teaches her how to fish. Finally staring up at the night sky she sees the North Star. Little Wolf finds her footing and her strongest howl which leads her right back to her pack. The incredible illustrations bring this story roaring to life. The deft use of color and varied perspectives drops readers right into Little Wolf’s dark and wild woods. The artwork is reminiscent of woodblock prints with bold lines and strong splashes of color. Though the animals are anthropomorphized their postures are incredibly realistic: Fearful Little Wolf’s ears droop her tail tucked around her. The geese come in for a dramatic landing feet spread wings posed. This story of determination and self-reliance shows that even the littlest out there can summon their biggest voice.

Drawing on abundant scholarship Lewis investigates images that contributed to Americans’ conception of race from the Civil War through the Jim Crow era. She focuses particularly on the connection made between whiteness and the Caucasus a region that waged a war against Russian incursion from 1817 to 1864. Americans were hugely sympathetic to the Caucasus which a prominent 18th-century German naturalist had argued was the “homeland of racial whiteness.” In a society consumed by “the urgent need to shore up the idea of race” Caucasian came to be conflated with white a concept that persisted despite stark visual evidence to the contrary. Lewis examines a range of images—paintings sculpture and photographs—to reveal how “the tactics of unseeing” enabled this racial fiction to be “hardened into foundational fact.” Women from the Caucasus for example were reputed to be the most beautiful in the world a belief that P.T. Barnum exploited by exhibiting “Circassian Beauties” in his various venues. Images of the Caucasus circulating after the Civil War revealed a racially mixed population and by 1876 another conflict which Americans called a “Mahomedan revolt” recast the region as Muslim and Asian “a place filled with ‘alien racial elements.’” Nevertheless the definition of Caucasian as European white at the pinnacle of the racial hierarchy was underscored by many including Woodrow Wilson. This arch-segregationist’s racist policies were abetted by what Lewis terms visual “racial detailing…assessment filtered through brutal stereotypes and narratives” and a malignant precursor to today’s racial profiling.

Sama opens with a scenario worthy of a Matt Damon hero: threatened with blackmail by an unnamed bad guy he connects with two ex-Mossad agents in downtown London who deliver the news that “there is a conspiracy to remove you from your job” and demand a cool million bucks to make it go away. Go away it does not and Sama’s narrative is peppered with ulcer-inducing moments trying to dodge the unknown threat. There’s big money at stake: Sama is a key advisor to Japanese investor Masayoshi Son who has $100 billion at his disposal. Sama had had sightings of Son in earlier jobs: in the mid-1990s Son for instance had thrown $100 million at Yahoo which turned in $30 billion before the tech bubble burst. Feeling undervalued at Morgan Stanley—“I should have walked away but I didn’t” he writes. “Nobody does; nobody walks out of the money trap”—Sama gladly went to work for Son only to discover that megazillionaires can be odd ducks with idées fixes that don’t always pay off in reality. In Son’s case he was smitten by Adam Neumann’s WeWork which on paper at least aligned with Son’s own mantra “My goal is happiness for everyone. Nobody should be sad. I want technology to make people happy.” Son’s seed money certainly made many a tech startup happy especially in the ride-share space although many ventures failed to come through. With billions of dollars swirling around his narrative Sama is a helpful interpreter of how such things as derivatives and Amazon's “consumer value proposition” work—or don’t. Throughout he is an engagingly funny self-aware and often rueful narrator.

Born into a wealthy English family Radclyffe began life as a girl in denial about her crushes on other women. After coming out as gay the author visited the Bluestockings bookstore in New York City a short train ride from the Connecticut home where Radclyffe was masquerading as a housewife despite suffering from hair and weight loss and random moments of pain associated with gender dysphoria. At Bluestockings the author met and began dating a woman. When they slept together Radclyffe imagined having a phantom penis which in retrospect he recognized as a possible sign that he was transgender. However only after getting a divorce and falling in love with another woman did he come out as a man. Although his relationship didn’t survive his transition Radclyffe found acceptance among his chosen family his parents and his children. Perhaps most importantly he discovered self-acceptance and learned that his identity didn’t negate his ability to be a loving and effective parent. “The world had tried to tell me that I couldn’t care for myself” he writes “and also for my children that I couldn’t be trans and queer and be a source of stability.…Whatever my failings as a parent—and I knew there had been many—my children would walk out into the world armed with all the tools I’d once lacked: courage curiosity the confidence to form their own opinions and trust their own instincts.” This book is consistently frank vulnerable perspicacious and insightful covering an impressive variety of aspects of the transgender experience in intimate lyrical language and dry compassionate humor. The author’s analysis of privilege is particularly refreshing as is his description of transitioning as a parent.

Ray hands out life advice using the framework of observing and caring for rocks. After all “it’s hard to ignore a rock.” This observation is true whether they’re the big ones that invite you to climb upon them or the small ones you stuff in your pockets. You can do lots of things with rocks from stacking them to lining them up. Above all readers should remember that they share similarities with rocks. People may not realize how deep the rocks that make up mountains are. “Some of their big goes unseen” Ray notes. “But it’s still there. Like yours.” Sometimes you might see something interesting in the midst of a pile of rocks just as you might notice something intriguing about yourself. “Any rock can be important even if only you know the reasons.” This deft and simple text has a refreshingly original premise exploring not the scientific aspects of rocks but rather the emotional support they can offer. Meanwhile marvelous watercolorlike mixed-media art draws effective comparisons between the people and the rocks they both ignore and adore. The large cast of children is racially diverse.

In the wake of a terrible storm young Maya and her father Tatay find a large piece of corrugated metal with the words “If found please return to.” But who does it belong to? Maya and Tatay pick it up and go in search of its owner. A farmer his cart pulled by a carabao pipes up after they’re stopped by a blocked road: “We can help!” He and the animal give them a ride. As the narrative continues so too does the pattern of bayanihan. At a raging river several fishers let the group climb aboard their narrow boat (the carabao paddles alongside). And when at last they come across a pile of debris—a now-destroyed home—Maya realizes that the metal they found earlier is the family’s roof. Everyone pitches in to rebuild “nail after nail board after board heart after heart.” Seamlessly incorporating Tagalog terms and Filipino traditions Sy’s lyrical methodically paced narrative pairs perfectly with Tingcungco’s lush digitally rendered collagelike artwork. The illustrator expertly blends textures and color to depict the rural setting from a verdant forest to cascading waterfalls. Never verging on preachy this tale will leave young readers fiercely resolved to follow Maya’s worthy example.

Madison Wisconsin 2000: For the last two years former local rock musician Seamus O’Neill has worked for the Ryder Detective Agency and he’s just taken the state’s private detective exam. It’s part of the 33-year-old’s plan to live more like a real adult a plan that also includes getting a bed frame for his mattress. Seamus and his sister are driving through the countryside to pick up said bedframe when they come across a case in the middle of the road—literally. A large tractor is tooling down the country lane with no one inside of it; it seems the farmer who was driving it Vernon Cooper has evaporated into thin air. What’s more the Coopers are somewhat notorious in Dane County for disappearing—the first to go Stephen Cooper vanished from his fields a century ago. People suspect everything from mental illness to a simple case of running away but Seamus senses there is more to Vernon’s disappearance than meets the eye. Seamus technically isn’t licensed yet but as a witness to the crime he can’t help but snoop around a little; as he digs into the case of the missing farmer the fields around Madison start to turn up more than just last year’s corn husks. Seamus makes for an unlikely detective; a troublemaker in his youth he’s now something of a harmless slacker—usually hung-over unable to drive shuffling into work late with a breakfast of “two loaves of day-old bread [bought] at Sam’s Subs.” One wishes the plot itself were a bit livelier but it unfolds with a sluggishness characteristic of Seamus himself a fact which when coupled with the fairly minor mystery at the center of it does not make for a page-turning read. The care with which Breen evokes the Wisconsin setting provides a fair amount of charm however and fans of the previous volumes are unlikely to be disappointed by this latest outing.

It’s been 10 months since the events of Josephine Against the Sea (2021) in which Mariss an evil sea spirit set her eyes on Josephine’s dad and turned the lives of father and daughter—and everyone in Fairy Vale—upside down. Now with the disappearances of her cricket coach a teammate and best friend Ahkai Josephine suspects something just as magically nefarious is afoot. She initially suspects the replacement coach who is kind of a jerk but promptly shifts her investigation toward Ahkai’s new crush the mysterious Lynne. The characters have grown over the past year and this sequel continues to build upon its robust Caribbean mythological base. Josephine remains zealously protective of those close to her as she aims to solve the mystery of the Heartman through cultural research impressive savvy and thoughtful engagement with her community. Reluctantly as it becomes clear Lynne isn’t the threat to her friendship with Ahkai that she thought and rather something entirely different the two become close and realize they must work together to save Ahkai and the others from the dangers of the Heartman’s lair. Their success relies on healing from the past while making new connections and Josephine’s journey is as frightening as it is emotionally challenging.

Three friends—all dark-haired one presenting Black and using a wheelchair one tan-skinned one pale-skinned—visit the park one morning. Nothing’s going on. The wind rustles leaves sending seedpods dancing. This inspires the kids to twirl. Others inspired by the friends also dance spontaneously. A delighted baby claps and sings; her mother joins in accompaniment. A neighbor taps a cane. The friends and other children draw instruments out of chalk on the pavement and then pretend to play them. Inspiration’s everywhere with no signs of stopping! The kids construct a castle out of a tree and wave to a “passing ship”—children in a nearby jungle gym. A battle chase and parade ensue. Pausing to rest the children look up to witness the “shifting stories” in the clouds. With the sun setting the friends hurriedly head home where more inspiration awaits. Marvelous ideas soon take flight in their dreams. This is an uplifting beautifully written story about possibilities and letting creative ideas play out freely. It demonstrates that inspiration is everywhere even in small things and moments; we need only look for it to unlock our own creative potential. The colorful dynamic illustrations were created with pencil textured and found papers and digital drawing tools. Background characters are diverse.