Medieval China and 1931 Chinatown echo each other in The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Van Glaser (published 2025). Both of the child protagonists face financial struggles and a challenge of their own, and their related stories nicely complement each other. Chinese culture and traditions are a unique part of their lives,
The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman (published 2025) tells the story of Clare, the fox who is an Usher for dead animals to the afterlife, and his search for meaning in his undead existence. Clare had a very brief life, and now he has spent six years in between life and death
The nonfiction picture book Zero! The Number that Almost Wasn’t by Sarah Albee (illustrated by Chris Hsu; Charlesbridge, 2025) captures the interesting history of the concept of nothing in mathematics. Although it’s a nonfiction book about a real concept (or non-concept as the case was for a long time), it reads smoothly and clearly like
Max in the Land of Lies by Adam Gidwitz (published 2025) is a continuation of Max in the House of Spies. Now Max must fulfill his spy mission in Berlin while also secretly searching for his parents. His story is surprisingly partially educational but foremost it is an action-packed historical fiction story about a clever
The Foundling by Georgette Heyer (published 1948) is another satisfying romp set during Regency England, with a light romance and a whole list of adventures for our main character, the Duke of Sale. I really could only read/listen to it by renaming it The Duke in my mind. It irritates me that the “foundling” is
The Time Traveler’s Guide to Regency Britain by Ian Mortimer (published 2022) is a thorough overview of thesoc Regency era, including a look at the social strata, food, dwellings, entertainment, and so much more. It would have been helpful to read this before jumping in to my most recent Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer obsession!
The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri (published 2025) is a historical fiction middle grade book about two orphans in Iran trying to find their place in a world confused by war and occupation. As a “World War II” novel (as the subtitle states), The Teacher of Nomad Land provides a unique look at
The Convenient Marriage by George Heyer (published 1934) features the very languid and lazy Lord Rule’s marriage to the very young 17-year-old Horatia Winwood, the youngest daughter who seeks to financial save the family while allowing her older sisters to marry as they please. Stuttering Horatia wants a life an exciting life of wealth, while
The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press, 2024) is a painful look at the Vietnam War from the perspective of the women nurses serving in the traumatic emergency surgery’s. Frankie McGrath joins the war in order to bring respect and honor to her family, since patriotic service is a family tradition. But from her
Candle Island by Lauren Wolk (published 2025) begins with an epigraph by James McNeil Whistler: “As music is the poetry of sound, so is painting the poetry of sight and the subject-matter has nothing to do with harmony of sound or of color.” This book is a gorgeous middle grade fiction novel with an overarching
One familiar name in children’s literature, from my childhood until now, is Jane Yolen. From middle grade novels to picture books and poems, her works have now influenced generations of children. In the deceptively simple picture book Janie Writes a Play: Jane Yolen’s First Great Story (illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight; Charlesbridge, 2025), Jane’s daughter Heidi
The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter (published 1953) tells the story of a boy raised by Indians in Colonial New England who must come to terms with his dual nature upon reaching his teen years. After being kidnapped from his Pennsylvania fields during a raid, John Butler has been renamed True Son and
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