“A Girl Out of the Past” by Malcolm Chester is a compelling young adult novel that intertwines historical intrigue with contemporary challenges. The story follows Kathryn Anderson, a Chicago teenager whose life is upended by sudden flashes of memory and unexplained attacks. As she delves deeper into these mysteries, Kathryn discovers a potential link to …
The story revolves around a group of children, descendants of Greek gods, who face the daunting task of awakening their divine ancestors to protect Earth from an impending extraterrestrial threat. What stands out in this novel is the seamless blending of ancient mythological themes with contemporary settings. The characters, particularly Andreas, Athena, Dimitri, and Aphrodite, …
After fleeing an abusive husband, New Zealander Jessamine Sibley takes a new job at a library in a small town in Bent River County, Virginia. At first, she’s excited about her fresh start. She has a new career, new friends, and a new house that she inherited from a friend in her book club. But …
“My mother has an invisible shield. I’ve tested it,” declares a floppy-haired child, who then proceeds to illustrate the many ways in which that hypothesis has been proven. This mom is ready for anything her child throws at her (sometimes literally), whether the youngster is attempting to filch some fruit or give her a scare. …
With more than 200 color images and five essays, this sumptuous volume celebrates an iconic flower. Introduced by Kristine Paulus, collection development librarian at the New York Botanical Garden, essays include fashion historian Amy de La Haye’s overview of roses in clothing design; a piece by Victoria Gaiger, editor at Rakesprogress magazine, examining the use …
Although candidate Donald Trump “vowed to drain the influence peddling swamp in Washington, DC,” author Lewis asserts in the book’s introduction, “he did the exact opposite” as president. Particularly egregious is the administration’s intermingling of corporate and foreign interests, which, the author says, benefited many with access to the Oval Office. As an advisor to …
It’s 1998, and teenagers Abraxa, Sash, and Lilith are making a video game. They’ve never met in person, but they meet online to discuss their plans for Saga of the Sorceress, inspired by a character from the Mystic Knights video game franchise. Abraxa, a brash trans girl, is responsible for the game’s art, coding, and …
Hugo is eager to join Dorian and their friend Ada, a boulder who will eventually grow up to be a planet, on a trip to watery Hydrox, Dorian’s home planet. They arrive to find a crisis caused by masses of butterfly people, who have been driven from their own polluted, warming planet, and by their …
Hiding out in the near-future “Perfect. Animal. Worlds.” (or PAW) Biosphere, 11-year-old Hazel McCrimlisk hopes that learning to speak with the animals will help her locate her scientist parents, who were mysteriously abducted by a monster just over a year ago. Traveling between the different ecosystem-based biodomes created by Dr. Henry Nimick, Hazel becomes adept …
The author, an experienced leader in risk management, here shares his method for turning professional setbacks into opportunities by focusing on six distinct areas, using a system he calls Presilience®. First, readers learn how psychology can be used to understand people’s thoughts and actions in certain situations. Next, Schneider draws from neuroscience to explicate people’s …
Robbie Jordan is on the cusp of motherhood, and she and her husband, Abe O’Neill, couldn’t be happier. Business is buzzing at Pans ’N Pancakes, Robbie’s diner. But as she and her staff of two, Danna Beedle and Turner Rao, work hard to furnish the citizens of South Lick, Indiana, with a steady stream of …
Kurt Endlicher is a young Viennese adult-education teacher living on his own for the first time. As the book begins, he has just moved into his aunt’s old apartment, where he initially clashes with one of his neighbors, Paul. “I had ended up living next to the most vulgar person in the world,” Kurt observes—but …