The three narrators in the middle grade novel Absent by Rex Ogle (published 2026) have all missed school and received detention, but all three have a different reason for missing class. Manny doesn’t see a point after his favorite teacher leaves, Calvin has to take care of his brothers and so is always late, and
Elizabeth Barrett was already a writer — and an invalid — when she got her cocker spaniel, Flush. Virginia Woolf’s Flush (published 1933) is a mock-biography of that pet dog. It is both a story of a dog’s life but also a commentary on the life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (EBB) before and after her
In Shook by Julian Randall (published 2026), basketball star Malik, nicknamed Shake, wins the game but only by breaking his foot. His identity and friendships have always revolved around playing basketball. Who is he without the only game he’s ever played? His story also explores the questions about anxiety and mental health as he comes
We the People by Jill Lepore (published September 2025) is a history of the Constitution, beginning with its creation and ratifying and discussing many of the Supreme Court cases that interpreted the Constitution as well as the legislation and possible Amendments that have been debated during its existence. What struck me most was that there
Faro’s Daughter by Georgette Heyer (published 1941) is a dark comedic Regency romance in which the main characters detest each other for most of the novel. Deb Grantham lives in her aunt’s “gaming house,” but she is a respectable young woman in unfortunately circumstance, and she knows that her flirtation with the young and innocent
The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene by Corey Ann Haydu (published 2026) is a body-swap fantasy novel set in the real world but also the fantastical world that Auden “Denny” Greene created herself. On her twelfth birthday, Denny finds herself in the world of Sorrowfeld, where dragons threaten the kingdom, a world that she and
Air speaks directly to the reader in Our Air by G. Brian Karas. With this second-person perspective, Our Air introduces the ways we know air is around us, and explains the reasons why air is so important, including its role as a “perfect combination of nitrogen and oxygen”, which provides for us as well as
American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis (published 1997) is not a biography in the traditional sense. Rather, it is an analysis of Jefferson’s character and his essential understandings as highlighted at various points in his life. These include his time writing the Declaration of Independence, his time overseas, his time
Secrets of Air by Mi-ae Lee, illustrated by Hae-ryun Jeong, tells basics about air. It discusses how air wraps the earth, how air is thinner the higher we go, how air moves as wind, and even basics about air currents. Each page has a few easy to read sentences to make it feel like a
As indicated by the subtitle, Up, Up High: The Secret Poetry of Earth’s Atmosphere by Lydia Lukidis, illustrated by Katie Rewse is a poetic collection with details about the various layers of the atmosphere, told with the perspective of a journey to space in a rocket ship, showing what might be seen and experienced outside
As the title suggests, Up in the Blue Sky: Journey from the Earth’s Surface to Outer Space by Gianumberto Accinelli, illustrated by Guilian Zaffaroni, shows a progression meter by meter of the things that travel to various levels in the atmosphere, beginning with ants close to the ground, moving up toward Olympic pole jumpers, and
The titular character in Ood-Le-Uk the Wanderer by Alice Lide and Margaret Johansen (published 1930) is an Eskimo boy who is separated from his tribe and wanders unintentionally via sea into Siberia, where he learns about Russian ways of living in the Arctic. His adventures help him grow from being a boy to being a
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