2book

AudioClassics

Audio: November 2019

Feature by Anna Zeitlin

★ The Dutch House
Tom Hanks summons up a kind of nostalgic Americana in his reading of Ann Patchett’s new novel, The Dutch House, a modern wicked-stepmother fable that follows narrator Danny and his older sister, Maeve, throughout their lives. After Danny and Maeve’s mother abandons them, their father remarries a woman who has no interest in them. When he dies and leaves almost everything to their stepmother, including their grand house, the injustice of it guides the rest of their lives. Patchett effortlessly navigates through time, capturing the essence of her characters’ stories in a subtle portrait. Hanks truly transforms into Danny; after hearing his narration, I can’t imagine the book without it.

The Water Dancer
In The Water Dancer, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ magical debut novel, readers meet Hiram, an enslaved man with special abilities. Through Hiram’s struggles and those of the people he encounters, Coates makes the emotional costs of slavery tangible, from the families who are separated to the free mother whose children are taken from her and sold. Coates gives his characters an original way of speaking that captures the ethos of the time without being confusing to the modern ear. He refers to the enslaved as the “Tasked” and the enslavers as the “Quality,” an intentional choice that encourages the listener to question the word slave and its denial of humanity. Hearing the words spoken in actor Joe Morton’s rich voice ties the book to the oral tradition and entrenches the story in legend. Coates brings his experience in journalism and nonfiction to ground the book in research, using history to create something new and wholly original.

Mythos
With endless British wit, Stephen Fry puts his own spin on classical Greek mythology in Mythos. The storylines stick pretty closely to the classics, while the added playfulness is all Fry. He fleshes out the gods, heroes and mortals, giving them more personality and filling in their interpersonal relationships. Their nutty antics play out in an absurd fashion. It’s what would happen if you handed Monty Python the keys to Mount Olympus. Fry has a strong love for the English language, which his narration reinforces as beautifully strung words slip over his tongue, and his dry delivery bolsters the comedy. It’s a good listen for families with teens, but a bit risqué for young children.

★ The Dutch House Tom Hanks summons up a kind of nostalgic Americana in his reading of Ann Patchett’s new novel, The Dutch House, a modern wicked-stepmother fable that follows narrator Danny and his older sister, Maeve, throughout their lives. After Danny and Maeve’s mother abandons…
Mystery

The lady doesn’t vanish—she investigates

Feature by Heather Seggel

Three new mysteries gain extra depth from their settings in decadent Gilded Age New York, interwar London and rural World War II-era Britain.

Dowager countess Philomena Amesbury left England behind for the bright lights of turn-of-the-century Manhattan when the miserable husband she was practically sold off to finally had the good sense to die. Now Phil is determined to live life to the fullest—and it certainly helps that her bills are paid by a mysterious benefactor, Mr. X, who periodically leaves clues in her path. In Tell Me No Lies, author Shelley Noble turns Phil loose on a case with suspects to spare.

When the young heir to a fortune is found stuffed into a laundry chute after a party, investigating detectives would like nothing more than for Phil to butt out. But she received a heads-up about the case from Mr. X, and before long she’s on the intriguing trail. The clues lead her through the Plaza Hotel and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but much more is revealed at a country house where tempers grow short and the fog makes it dreadfully hard to see who’s milling about. Add in some tantalizing romantic potential (Lady Phil’s benefactor won’t show his face, but he does occasionally show up and spend the night) and a hot air balloon chase, and you’ve got suspense steeped in Gilded Age glamour, and a very good time indeed.

The Body on the Train pits investigator Kate Shackleton against, well, almost everyone by story’s end. Scotland Yard enlists her to help identify the titular body, which was found in a sack on a train carrying rhubarb. Kate finds credible information hard to come by among the Yorkshire residents she talks to. The train may have departed from there, but the community’s internal struggles have made them wary of outsiders. Soon Kate is investigating a second murder along with a labor dispute and a battle over land use—and trying to save her own neck in the bargain.

Author Frances Brody lets Kate wander at will, and it’s a pleasure to follow her. She stays at the home of a friend under the pretext of creating a local photography feature, and the photos she takes of people and places are described so vividly you can almost see them. The struggle to balance the rights of workers and the needs of an impoverished community makes for a tense backdrop, and Kate’s relationship with her friend is strained as she learns more about the friend’s role in both. When everyone’s motives are suspect, it’s impossible to know who to trust, and this thriller makes great use of that fact in a truly chilling climax.

Poppy Redfern is doing her bit for England’s war effort. Her family home and farm have been seized so the U.S. Air Force can use them, and Poppy serves as an air raid warden, helping with drills and checking the village for any glimpse of light through the blackout curtains. But when two young women who had been dating American servicemen are found strangled to death, suddenly wartime allies seem like potential enemies stationed too close to home. In Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders author Tessa Arlen layers suspicion on top of suspicion against a backdrop of privation and English resolve.

Local distrust of the “Yanks” runs so high that it may well divert attention away from a killer hiding in plain sight. But Poppy’s easy friendship with one of the Americans could be leading her to trust too readily. (It’s hard to be mad at someone who can get real beef in the midst of rationing.) She works out her theories of the case via a novel in progress whose protagonist always seems to have the answers she lacks. Vivid settings and high emotions keep the suspense at fever pitch, but it’s the characters that make Arlen’s series kickoff such a stunner.

Three new mysteries gain extra depth from their settings in decadent Gilded Age New York, interwar London and rural World War II-era Britain.
NonfictionChildren's & YAYA NonfictionYAMiddle Grade

Illuminating the past

Feature by Deborah Hopkinson

Three new books for young readers—a work of nonfiction, a novel and a unique memoir—offer fascinating insights into World War II, an era that helped shape the world we live in today.

The seeds of World War II were planted during the aftermath of World War I. Harsh financial penalties imposed on Germany, combined with the devastating effects of the Great Depression, contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party. Andrew Maraniss explores the prewar period for young readers in his masterful Games of Deception, which reveals the little-known story of the first United States Olympic basketball team. They competed in 1936, the year basketball debuted as an Olympic sport—and the year the games were held, amid controversy, in Hitler’s Berlin.

Young readers will likely be unfamiliar with much of this history, including the boycott efforts that surrounded the games, but Maraniss is an effective storyteller who skillfully paints a picture of the past by focusing on individual people and evocative details. Along with the players’ stories, Maraniss also introduces ordinary people who became eyewitnesses to history; these include a German Jewish boy named Al Miller who never forgot what it was like to watch Jesse Owens run.

The 1936 Olympics were, of course, a prelude to the horrors to come, and Maraniss follows his story through to the war’s end. Full-page photographs, a bibliography and a timeline enhance the book. A fantastic afterword traces Maraniss’ research process, including his meeting with 95-year-old Dr. Al Miller, who managed to escape Hitler’s Germany.

Alan Gratz’s latest novel, Allies, zeros in on one of the most dramatic military operations of all time: D-Day, the invasion of Normandy. Gratz has previously combined meticulous research with compelling characters and action-packed scenes in bestselling books such as Refugee, Projekt 1065 and Grenade. Allies is no different, as Gratz once again draws readers into history.

The novel opens with Dee Carpenter riding in a Higgins boat through the rocking waves on his way to Omaha Beach. Dee is a 16-year-old from Philadelphia who has signed up for the U.S. Army with a fudged birth certificate. But readers find out something else at the end of the first chapter: “His real name was Dietrich Zimmermann, and he was German.”  

The book also follows Samira, an Algerian girl in the French resistance who is trying to sabotage the German occupation and find her mother, with (she hopes) the help of a fearless little dog. Supporting characters include a Jewish soldier, a Canadian paratrooper and a character based on the famed African American medic Waverly “Woody” Woodson, who was part of the all-black 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion on Omaha Beach.

Allies is timely, not merely because of this year’s 75th anniversary of D-Day but also for its contributions to discussions of how individuals, communities and nations can be allies in today’s world.

Like Waverly Woodson, Ashley Bryan was also on Omaha Beach. Now 96 years old, Bryan has published numerous books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor book Freedom Over Me. Infinite Hope is the extraordinary memoir of this hugely beloved figure in children’s literature. Like many veterans, Bryan has never talked about his military service, so his story may take people by surprise.

When his draft notice arrived in 1943, Bryan was a 19-year-old art student who was already familiar with prejudice. One art school interviewer told him his portfolio was the best the school had seen, but “it would be a waste to give a scholarship to a colored person.” With his teachers’ encouragement, Bryan was accepted to Cooper Union, which judged applicants blind. Even this did not prepare Bryan for what he would experience when he joined the Army. “As a Black soldier, I found myself facing unequal treatment in a war that Blacks hoped would lead our nation closer to its professed goal of equal treatment for all.”

Infinite Hope tells the story of Bryan’s journey as a stevedore in the 502nd Port Battalion through mixed media, with large photographs interspersed with sketches, paintings and excerpts from his diary and letters. The result is both an intimate portrait of Bryan himself and a rare insight into the African American experience of World War II and the invasion of Normandy, where Bryan worked nonstop on Omaha Beach unloading cargo in the months after D-Day. Later, while guarding German prisoners of war in France after the war’s end, Bryan realized the Germans were given more respect than black American soldiers. After arriving home in early 1946, Bryan locked his WWII drawings away and rarely spoke of his experiences.

Infinite Hope makes Bryan’s incredible artwork, created in the midst of war, available for the first time. It is a must-read for young people, parents, educators and anyone interested in World War II. Most of all, it is the work of an inspiring American who truly embodies infinite grace.

Three new books for young readers—a work of nonfiction, a novel and a unique memoir—offer fascinating insights into World War II, an era that helped shape the world we live in today.

The seeds of World War II were planted during the aftermath…

Two tales of modern espionage

Feature by Heather Seggel

Mystery novels are among the great escapist indulgences, or so you’d think. Two new espionage thrillers flip that theory on its head with stories that revolve around Russian interference in foreign elections. They may hit close to home, but they still pack in a lot of thrills.

In Agent Running in the Field, John le Carré masterfully moves chessmen around the board, subtly pocketing them while we’re distracted. The middle-aged Nat is preparing to leave (read: be let go from) a career in Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service but is surprised to be given a job keeping an eye on Moscow’s equivalent office. The Russians may try to influence Brexit and who comes to power in Britain, but it’s impossible to predict how or when it might happen.

To blow off steam, Nat plays badminton with Ed, an odd fellow who challenges Nat to a match at their athletic club and quickly becomes his weekly partner. There are a few scenes that are genre classics, like discovering a folded message hidden in a lipstick case, but the reader will be most drawn into this tangled tale by its richly drawn relationships among family, friends and colleagues. The scrappy office Nat works from feels more like a dying newspaper than the stuff of cinematic spy thrillers, but that close-knit environment is easily strained when it’s impossible to know who you can trust. Le Carré keeps the tension at a steady simmer that never bubbles over, and it’s an unsettling pleasure to follow this Agent as he persists in his duties.

The action in Tom Bradby’s Secret Service spikes and dips along with its emotional currents. Kate Henderson is a senior MI6 officer facing a nightmare scenario: Britain’s prime minister is ill, and one of his likely replacements may be acting on behalf of Russia. But is the news even true, or is it a fake story designed to sow chaos? Bradby pulls this premise in multiple directions.

Kate’s work relies on her being devoutly loyal to her team, but that allows family ties to fray. Strained relations with her husband and her aging mother have her constantly questioning her own judgment—which is especially dangerous when making the right call at work can mean life or death. A subplot involving her daughter’s new boyfriend shows just how difficult constant suspicion can be on a family. Those moments are human and all too real, nicely contrasting with scenes in which the MI6 agent is on the job. After hours of staring at a screen and eating cold pizza, Kate’s life can turn on a dime when suddenly there’s a firefight or a witness to nab. Tension piles on tension in what feels like a race against time, but the climactic scene is deliberately slow to reveal the answers—and it’s a heartbreaker.

It may skew close to events that feel real, but Secret Service includes a range of settings and dynamic action sequences that unfold with visual flair, making it an immersive, meaty thriller.

Mystery novels are among the great escapist indulgences, or so you’d think. Two new espionage thrillers flip that theory on its head with stories that revolve around Russian interference in foreign elections. They may hit close to home, but they still pack in a lot of thrills.

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Two brilliant reimaginings of mythical creatures

Feature by Laura Hubbard

From orcs to elves to dragons, non-human beings in fantasy books often fall into two camps. Some are presented as basically human, if often exoticized. The rest are generally presented as bestial: They may or may not be able to speak, but at their core they’re not too different from beasts of burden. Regardless of the archetype, their thoughts, feelings and cultures (when they have any at all) are described in relation to a human or human-like surrogate. Both Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner and The Deep by Rivers Solomon (with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes) buck this tradition, creating non-human characters that are defined not by their relationship to humans but in the context of their own societies.

In her debut novel Unnatural Magic, C.M. Waggoner spins a coming-of-age tale of love, friendship and murder that is both universal and completely new. Unnatural Magic’s first strand of story is that of Tsira, a half-troll whose heritage has made it difficult to fit in among her home clan. When confronted with first a half-dead solider and then with an attempt on her own life, Tsira is forced from her solitary existence. The book’s second strand is that of Onna, a girl with a prodigious gift for magic and the guts to blaze her own academic path when she’s denied a higher magical education due to her sex. But as she embarks on her new scholarly adventure, Onna quickly becomes pulled into a hunt for a troll murderer—and unknowingly sets out on a crash course towards Tsira. Equal parts romance, bildungsroman and murder mystery, Unnatural Magic can’t decide on a genre archetype, and that’s a good thing. The resulting amalgamation is delightfully unpredictable.

Rivers Solomon’s The Deep, in contrast, is a story of pain and new beginnings. Holding the collective memories of an entire race of people isn’t easy. It is even less easy if your underwater-dwelling people are descended from the children of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by their captors and left to drown. Yetu’s duty is to remember the pain of her ancestors so that the rest of her people can live in the moment, free from the trauma of the past. She is freed from the memories only during an annual ceremony in which Yetu shares the history with her people. Overwhelmed at the prospect of taking back the memories of her ancestors, Yetu flees to the surface in the middle of one of these Tellings. On the surface, she will learn not just of the world her people left behind, but also of her people’s future. Philosophical and atmospheric, The Deep is not just a story of trauma. It is a story that looks carefully at the individual’s place in society and explores what it means to collectively heal and to move forward by accepting, but not forgetting, the past.

Unnatural Magic and The Deep are as different in tone, writing style and subject matter as two fantasy books can be. But what the two share is a deep sense of empathy. As readers, we are not meant to identify with either Yetu or Tsira as though they were human. Instead, both Solomon and Waggoner ask us to imagine beings different from ourselves and then to meet them without trying to force them into human-shaped boxes in our minds. The results are as challenging as they are enjoyable, and any reader willing to try something different will be rewarded handsomely for the effort.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Go Behind the Book with C.M. Waggoner.

Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner and The Deep by Rivers Solomon create non-human characters that are defined not by their relationship to humans but in the context of their own societies.

AudioMysteryMemoir

Audio: December 2019

Feature by Anna Zeitlin

★ Medallion Status
In his laugh-out-loud new memoir, Medallion Status, John Hodgman navigates his new life as a former celebrity, as he discovers that he’s less famous than a pair of Instagram dogs. He explores his obsession with achieving higher levels of loyalty status to his favorite airline and shares the private spaces he’s been admitted to, including a party where a man who walked on the moon feels unworthy of attending,  a top-secret lounge at the airport and his favorite fancy Hollywood hotel. He also shares places he’s been prohibited from entering, including a Scientology center said to contain a bottomless pit and Mar-a-Lago. In this excellent memoir full of astute moments of nuanced observation, Hodgman explores his myriad interests, from extinct hockey to ska, which inform his unique perspective. This is definitely one you’ll want the audiobook for, as Hodgman’s delivery really helps his jokes land. There’s also one line in the memoir that Hodgman can’t bear to read aloud; you need to hear the A-list celeb he brings in to read it.

Make It Scream, Make It Burn
Leslie Jamison’s essays in Make It Scream, Make It Burn cover a wide range of topics. In the opening essay, “52 Blue,” she talks about a whale whose call is twice as loud as all other whales in the ocean, and about his human devotees who have ascribed their own meanings to his call, projecting loneliness or heartbreak onto the whale and creating stories about his life. In other essays, Jamison learns about people living through the video game Second Life, about a photographer who spends 20 years traveling to Mexico to photograph the same family and about her own experience of becoming a stepmother and buying the wrong Frozen doll. Jamison reads in a direct, matter-of-fact voice, underscored with a tinge of longing. Her narration emphasizes the melancholic but hopeful tone of the book.

Now You See Them
Detective Edgar Stephens and magician Max Mephisto return in Elly Griffiths’ fifth Magic Men mystery, Now You See Them, set in mid-1960s England amid battles between gangs of mods and rockers. When an American matinee idol comes to town and one of his biggest fans goes missing, Detective Stephens is on the case, but his wife, a former detective, gets ideas of her own for how to solve it. As more young women disappear, the race is on to find the kidnapper in this light mystery with a fun setting. With a background in British theater, James Langton brings his acting chops to the narration. His proper English accent is well suited to the material.

New audiobooks from John Hodgman, Leslie Jamison and Elly Griffiths make for excellent listening.
NonfictionPop CultureCookbooks

Gift books: For the culture vulture who’s seen everything

Feature by Jessica Wakeman

Why choose between the page and the screen? These books are great for culture vultures who want to enjoy the two together.

Binging With Babish by Andrew Rea
Food on film can be as memorable as any character. What would Harry Potter be without butterbeer? Or “Seinfeld” without soup? In the vast universe of YouTube chefs, Andrew Rea stands out with his unique conceit: cooking dishes from TV and film to eat in real life. 

His channel’s millions of subscribers watch him prepare dishes like the Krabby Supreme from “Spongebob Squarepants,” cheesy blasters from “30 Rock” and even “the grey stuff (it’s delicious!)” from Beauty and the Beast. Rea’s new cookbook, Binging With Babish, compiles many of these recipes for the home cook. It includes serious dishes, such as creme brulee from Amélie and cannoli from The Godfather. But there are also plenty of not-so-serious recipes, such as Buddy’s pasta from Elf (spaghetti with M&Ms and a crumbled fudge PopTart, anyone?). Each recipe comes with Rea’s tips for preparation and a verdict on its edibleness.

Movies (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano
We all know one film aficionado who remembers bits and bobs about movies long after everyone else has forgotten them. This person can be tricky to shop for, as they’ve seen every movie already and have plenty of opinions about them. Enter Movies (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano, author of The Rap Year Book. Over the course of 30 essays, Serrano dives deep into topics that movie nerds love to debate, with a focus on famous films since the 1980s. Who are the members of the perfect heist movie crew? Who gets it the worst in Kill Bill? 

Movies is illustrated by Arturo Torres and, as a whole, feels internet-y in its composition, as it contains charts, listicles, a yearbook and even a script. There’s a distinctly masculine feel to the essays, with only a handful addressing films starring women. Nevertheless, any cinephile will find this a fascinating read—and for everyone else, it’s a fun coffee table book.

Why choose between the page and the screen? These books are great for culture vultures who want to enjoy the two together.
NonfictionWomen's History

Gift books: For trailblazers and seekers of inspiration

Feature by Heather Seggel

It’s always a delight to celebrate the women who make us laugh, who have shaped popular culture and politics and who have defined (and redefined) aging. 

The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women by Sheila Moeschen
The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women: 50 Trailblazers of Comedy is a small coffee table book that’s a treat to explore. Sheila Moeschen provides thumbnail biographies of comics ranging from Moms Mabley to Tig Notaro, capturing a little of what makes each woman unique. Categories include “Snarky, Sassy, Super Smarties” and “Courageous, Creative, Character Comics.” (It’s a crime that Madeline Kahn is not among the comics included, but what’s a list without some controversy?) Artist Anne Bentley’s full-color illustrations bring Kate McKinnon’s feline grin and Robin Thede’s laser brilliance to life. If you’re a comedy fan, there’s a good chance you’ll discover some new favorites while connecting with women you already admire in this era-spanning celebration.

No Stopping Us Now by Gail Collins
New York Times columnist Gail Collins looks at the ways aging has both limited and liberated women in No Stopping Us Now: The Adventures of Older Women in American History. Lots of nuggets here are hilarious in hindsight, like a women’s magazine from the 1800s asserting that a woman is considered young at 17 but a “snubbed, spinster governess” at merely “nine-and-twenty.” Collins goes through four centuries of history, and doesn’t shy away from ugliness, such as the virulent racism of many early feminists. She tells the stories of still-famous women who achieved great things later in life (Sojourner Truth and Sandra Day O’Connor) as well as those who have faded into obscurity (Gilded Age actress Eileen Karl and Wild West stagecoach driver  Mary Fields). The suffrage movement in particular found older women coming into their own both socially and politically. This account is a moving tribute of the power and persistence of American women. 

Vanity Fair’s Women on Women edited by Radhika Jones
Vanity Fair’s Women on Women delivers exactly what the title suggests: 28 essays profiling women who stand out in politics, pop culture and society at large, all penned by women. A trio of first lady profiles—Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama—is a study in contrasts, offering views from inside and outside the White House. Royalty abounds, both British (Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II), and American (Lady Gaga, Meryl Streep). A section of essays by women “In Their Own Words” includes an analysis of the meaning of #MeToo by Monica Lewinsky. A particular delight is “Emily Post’s Social Revolution,” in which Laura Jacobs profiles the woman whose notions of etiquette still guide us today. Don’t miss this deep and dishy collection.

It’s always a delight to celebrate the women who make us laugh, who have shaped popular culture and politics and who have defined (and redefined) aging. 

The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women by Sheila Moeschen
The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women: 50 Trailblazers…

NonfictionCookbooks

Gift books: For the mensch with the most

Feature by Jill Ratzan

The nights are getting longer, the weather is getting colder, and Hanukkah is just around the corner.

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, celebrates both an ancient military victory and the flame of a tiny oil lamp miraculously lasting for eight days. It’s a chance for families to light candles in a menorah, say blessings, exchange gifts . . . and read books! Two new offerings are perfect for Hanukkah gift-giving.

The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia by Stephanie Butnick, Liel Leibovitz & Mark Oppenheimer
The hosts of Tablet magazine’s “Unorthodox” podcast branch out into book format with The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, a compendium of all things Jewish, covering everything from bagels to the Book of Life, Shabbat to “Seinfeld.” Alternately irreverent and profound—but always informative—entries range from single sentences (“chutzpah: What it takes to think you can write an encyclopedia of Jewish life”) to four-page spreads (check out the sections about Jewish gangsters and Jewish Hollywood). Photographs of Jewish people and places abound, and quick-reference sections about holidays answer such questions as “What do we do?” and “Anything good to eat?” 

The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia is a great gift for the Jewish maven in your life who’d relish quoting facts about the history of the garment industry or brushing up on their Yiddish curses.

The Jewish Cookbook by Leah Koenig
You can never have too many cookbooks, and The Jewish Cookbook by Leah Koenig is one you’ll pull off the shelf over and over again. Sections for standard cookbook fare, such as soups and stews, are joined by Jewish-specific chapters (“Dumplings, Noodles, and Kugels” is a go-to), and symbols indicate when a recipe is gluten-free, vegan or meets other criteria for ingredients or prep time. 

Dozens of photographs show Ashkenazi favorites like braided challah, fruit-drenched blintzes and crisp pickles alongside curried fish balls from South Africa, coconut rice from India and beloved Middle Eastern desserts like sweet egg meringue and sufganiyot (jelly donuts). You’ll find recipes from chefs at renowned restaurants and for food-specific holidays like Passover. Best of all, every recipe begins with a story: where the recipe comes from, what traditions surround it and how it can best be accompanied. 

Give The Jewish Cookbook to a Jewish cook who wants to combine the tastes of their childhood (wherever it may have been) with adventurous forays into Jewish cooking around the world.

The nights are getting longer, the weather is getting colder, and Hanukkah is just around the corner.
YA FictionYA

Gift books: For YA readers who can’t wait to see how the story ends (or continues!)

Feature by Kimberly Giarratano

Anyone who’s been reading along with some of the most popular YA series would be overjoyed to find one of these titles in their stockings. Just make sure they’re all caught up on the previous volumes first!

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
Devoted fans of Holly Black’s bestselling Folk of the Air series have been buzzing with nervous energy over what will become of frenemies Jude and Cardan. Rest assured, Black doesn’t disappoint with The Queen of Nothing.

Jude and her twin sister, Taryn, are humans who have been raised in the faerie kingdom of Elfhame. Although humans are often victims of faerie cruelty, Jude has been trained as a warrior. But after treating King Cardan like a pawn in a game of political chess, Jude has been exiled to the human realm, where she works dangerous jobs for faeries—until Taryn shows up, seeking Jude’s help. Jude risks her life as she pits herself against old friends and new enemies, including her stepfather, who has his eyes on the crown. But survival in the faerie court is fraught with political gambles, disloyal spies and impending war, not to mention confusion about where Jude stands with Cardan. When a curse threatens the kingdom, Jude is forced to make a heartbreaking choice.

Black’s writing flows like honey as she injects intoxicating chemistry into romantic tropes. Jude is clever, cunning and empowered, while Cardan is deliciously flawed and imbued with Black’s biting wit. The Queen of Nothing is a satisfying, if bittersweet, conclusion to this successful trilogy. 

The Toll by Neal Shusterman
In his Arc of a Scythe trilogy, National Book Award winner Neal Shusterman has created a futuristic world as complex and ambiguous as our own. Tackling morality, ethics, life and death, Shusterman’s work is hefty—the entire trilogy clocks in at around 1,500 pages—but ultimately it’s a masterpiece of allegory and plot twists that transcends genre and age. 

In a post-mortal age, an omniscient supercomputer called the Thunderhead has relieved the world of disease, violence and destruction. Humans now live for centuries, creating a problem the Thunderhead cannot address: death. In order to control population growth, some humans are drafted as “scythes” and tasked with murdering citizens efficiently and compassionately. Unfortunately, not every scythe abides by the commandments, and Scythe Goddard’s corruption is undoing all of the Thunderhead’s progress. But Goddard comes up against formidable opponents, including Citra and Rowan, two teens determined to destroy Goddard and his new order, and the Toll, a religious figurehead who can speak to the Thunderhead. When Goddard’s ambitions result in large-scale tragedy, the Thunderhead accelerates its plans for humanity’s survival. But a supercomputer and three humans may be no match for one man intent on bringing the world to its knees. The Toll culminates with star-crossed lovers Citra and Rowan deciding whether to make the ultimate sacrifice for each other. After all, what good is immortality without someone by your side to share it? Gift The Toll to any ardent reader, whether they’re 18 or 80. 

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
Readers have eagerly awaited Call Down the Hawk, the first book in bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater’s (Shiver, All the Crooked Saints) spinoff trilogy starring the Raven Cycle’s beloved Ronan Lynch. Ronan, who can manifest objects from his dreams into reality, is struggling to adapt to life after high school. His boyfriend, Adam, is away at college, leaving Ronan bored and purposeless. He’s able to keep his dreams under control as long as he stays close to home, but the longer he goes without dreaming, the more disastrous the outcomes. No one understands this better than Hennessy, a thief and con artist who never learned to control her dreams; consequently, they’re slowly killing her. 

Hennessy has a doppelgänger, Jordan, who works as an art forger and whose path intersects with Declan, Ronan’s straight-laced older brother. Declan has spent his whole life lying to protect his family from a covert sect who believe killing dreamers will avert an apocalypse—and Ronan and Hennessy are their next targets.

Call Down the Hawk represents a tonal shift from its predecessors. It feels darker and headier as Stiefvater stretches the confines of her magical constructs and raises the stakes beyond the Raven Boys’ old prep school. This change feels organic to the narrative; as the characters mature and graduate, so must the story. But loyal readers needn’t fear. Beloved characters from earlier books make a few cameos, Adam and Ronan’s relationship has plenty of romantic breathing room, and Stiefvater’s lyrical writing style is a gift in itself. Readers new to the story should start with The Raven Boys, but everyone else will want this on their bookshelf, dog-eared, until the next book in the series arrives.

Anyone who’s been reading along with some of the most popular YA series would be overjoyed to find one of these titles in their stockings. Just make sure they’re all caught up on the previous volumes first!

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
…

NonfictionParentingLiterature

Gift books: For new parents

Feature by Alice Cary

New babies need all sorts of paraphernalia—but don’t forget that new parents need prezzies, too. When it comes to books, these three may prove essential.

Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman
Twenty-six years after I first became a mother, I’m still the queen of disaster, always asking, “What’s wrong?”—because I’m always sure something is. Oh, how I could have used Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mothers, a brilliant guide for new moms by Karen Kleiman, founder of the Postpartum Stress Center.

Because new moms have neither time nor energy to read, these relatable truths are presented succinctly in accessible, reassuring and often humorous cartoons, wonderfully illustrated by Molly McIntyre. Whether it’s improving negative body image, bonding with your screaming bundle of joy, resuming sex or dealing with in-laws, depression, anxiety or feelings of exhaustion and inadequacy, Good Moms offers expert advice in a helpful, healing way. It’s my new go-to gift.

How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul & Maria Russo
During my son’s first long car trip, I sat in the back seat and tried to force-feed him board books. If only I could have consulted How to Raise a Reader, we would have read something much more interesting than Pat the Bunny—perhaps a cookbook, a novel or a parenting manual. According to authors Pamela Paul and Maria Russo, it doesn’t really matter what you read to an infant. It’s more about the sound of a parent’s voice and the experience of being exposed to language.

Paul and Russo, both editors at The New York Times Book Review, have a storehouse of wisdom to share, with advice for every stage from infancy to adolescence. They offer stellar lists of specific reading suggestions, all with the goal of raising “a reader for life.” Colorful illustrations from four children’s illustrators add to the fun, making this a book that’s easy for literature-loving parents to enjoy and get lost in.

How to Save Your Child From Ostrich Attacks, Accidental Time Travel, and Anything Else That Might Happen on an Average Tuesday by James Breakwell
Finally, every nervous new parent desperately needs a few laughs, so help them start smiling with James Breakwell’s How to Save Your Child From Ostrich Attacks, Accidental Time Travel, and Anything Else That Might Happen on an Average Tuesday. Breakwell is a comedy writer and father of four girls, and his latest book is filled with cartoons, charts (“The Most Evil Gifts to Buy for Someone Else’s Kid”) and lines like “Beds are just trampolines with different marketing” and “What goes up must get a concussion.” Breakwell is not only funny; sometimes he’s all too right.

New babies need all sorts of paraphernalia—but don’t forget that new parents need prezzies, too. When it comes to books, these three may prove essential.

Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman
Twenty-six years after I first became a mother, I’m still…

Children's & YAPicture Book

Tips for Teachers: Neighborhood days

Feature by Emmie Stuart

Tips for Teachers is a monthly column in which experienced teacher and children’s librarian Emmie Stuart shares book recommendations and a corresponding teaching guide for fellow elementary school teachers.

On a recent afternoon, our school secretary delivered a package to the library. Knowing it contained a copy of Sunny Day, I opened it eagerly and spent about 60 seconds relishing its goodness before a line of squirming 6-year-olds forced me to reluctantly set it aside. After checking out their books, I stepped out of the library for a quick meeting. When I returned, Sunny Day was gone.

The disappearing book mystery was solved a few hours later when a teacher returned it. She had spied the book and swiped it to show to her entire team of teachers. “‘Sesame Street’ was one of the only constants of my early childhood,” she explained. “I watched it every morning and every night. I can’t imagine my early years without the safeness and stability of 123 Sesame Street.”

On November 10, 2019, “Sesame Street,” arguably the most significant and influential children’s television show of the century, celebrated its 50th anniversary, capping off a sunny CV that includes 49 seasons, 4,481 episodes, 189 Emmy Awards, 30 international editions and one big yellow bird. Its setting? A neighborhood full of “friendly neighbors . . . where we meet.” In honor of neighbors and neighborhood days, these three books sparkle, inviting children to “come and play!”

Sunny Day: A Celebration of the “Sesame Street” Theme Song written by Joe Raposo

To mark its 50th anniversary, 18 artists lovingly illustrated the lyrics of “Sunny Day,” the show’s beloved opening melody. From Christian Robinson’s cheery jacket cover to Ziyue Chen’s nostalgic endpapers, each line of “Sunny Day” is thoughtfully reimagined and illustrated through artists’ signature art styles. The spreads include familiar “Sesame Street” characters along with a cast of diverse and happy neighborhood children. The love and respect that the illustrators feel toward the show is evident in each and every stunning illustration filled with intentional detail. Brief biographies of each artist are included in the back matter.

Make it a “Sunny Day” and invite students to join you on a trip “to where the air is sweet” and friendly neighbors meet. Show them how to get, how to get to Sesame Street!

  • Illustrator Identification

    After reading (or in my case, singing) the book aloud, ask students what they noticed about the illustrations. This is an ideal opportunity for identifying the parts of a picture book with students. Point out the book’s jacket, casing, endpapers and title page. Each of these parts has a different illustrator. Discuss how each illustrator has a different style and interpretation of the lyrics.

    If possible, collect 10 to 12 books by the contributing illustrators and assign them a number. I used the whiteboard ledge and wrote the number on the board above each book. Give students a form labeled with the page numbers and lyrics. Throughout the week, let students work in pairs to identify the illustrator of each spread using the previous books as evidence. I paperclipped together the last two pages of Sunny Day to discourage students from peeking at the illustrator’s biographies, although they enjoyed figuring out the puzzle so much that looking at the answer wasn’t even an issue.
     

  • History of “Sesame Street”

    For older grades, dispel the notion that “‘Sesame Street’ is just for babies” by showing them how it changed children’s television programming. Newsela has a collection of articles available for a wide variety of reading levels; creating a Newsela account is quick and free. We read articles on the impact of “Sesame Street” on preschoolers, the story behind Oscar the Grouch and the introduction of a homeless muppet. Scholastic News published an article celebrating the show’s 40th anniversary. My students loved watching clips of celebrity guests throughout the years. And I have a strong feeling that many of them will be turning in for the 50th anniversary prime-time special. I mean, just look at the lineup!

Daniel’s Good Day written and illustrated by Micha Archer

Daniel knows many of his neighbors. They always tell him to have a good day. On his way to grandmother’s house one morning, Daniel decides to ask his neighbors, “What makes a good day for you?” His neighbors’ distinct answers reflect their specific jobs. For the newsstand seller, “Busy sidewalks and friendly faces” make a good day, and for the baker, “birthdays” make a good day. Upon returning home, Daniel is happy to discover each of his neighbors experiencing their version of a good day. Like Archer’s collage illustrations, Daniel’s Good Day is a multilayered story sure to spark discussion about students’ “good days” and the simple joy of knowing our neighbors.

  • Neighborhood Identification & Collage Cards

    After sharing the book with a group of first graders, I realized that most students thought that the word “neighbor” meant the people living directly next door. After a few comments like, “Wait, the bus driver isn’t Daniel’s neighbor!” I decided we needed some conversations and activities to clarify the notions of “neighbor” and “neighborhood.” I defined neighbors as “friends and helpers in our community.”

    Watch the “Sesame Street” song, “People in Your Neighborhood.” As a class, make a list of neighbors (bus drivers, our community librarian, physical neighbors, clergy, local booksellers, the teenager working at the donut shop, etc.) and their roles in our neighborhood. The students’ task is to find out the name of one of these neighbors. At the end of the lesson, tell students, “Next week, we’re going to make collage thank-you cards for these neighbors, so it is important to remember your neighbor’s name.” The following week, watch this video of Micha Archer creating her collage and rubber stamp illustrations. Provide various different materials and rubber stamps, and watch the students’ creativity come to life as they make cards for neighbors.
     

  • What is a good day?

    Daniel asks his neighbors, “What makes a good day for you?” Ask students if the neighbors’ responses are big things (i.e. a new car or big vacation) or just small simple things. Share a few things that make a good day for you, then give them a few minutes to consider their own good days. Record their responses on a piece of chart paper with the heading, “Our Class Good Day.” Encourage students to emulate Daniel and ask their neighbors (see above activity), “What makes a good day for you?”

Saturday written and illustrated by Oge Mora

Ava’s mother works Sunday through Friday, so of course, “Saturday was the day they cherished.” On Saturdays they spend the day visiting their favorite places—the library for storytime, the hair salon for new hairdos and the park for a picnic. This Saturday is special because they have tickets for “a one-night-only puppet show.” When small details go awry, Ava’s mother reminds her not to worry because the day is still sacred and special. We know that Ava absorbs her mother’s wisdom, because when the biggest disappointment occurs, it’s Ava who comforts her mom, reminding her that Saturdays are wonderful “because I spend them with you.” Heartfelt without being saccharine, Saturday shows students the inevitability of bad days and the magic that can be found amid unfortunate circumstances.

  • Dynamic Verbs

    Zipped, zoomed, lounged, picnicked, boo-hooed, chirped . . . Saturday is filled with vivid action verbs. Reread the text aloud, stopping to record the verbs. Create a T-chart with columns labeled dull and dynamic. Put the words from the text in the dynamic column. For each dynamic verb, let students decide which dull word it replaced. For example, “zipped” is more dynamic and specific than “went.” Invite students to take out their writing journals and reread their entries. Can they find dull verbs and replace them with more dynamic verbs? Let older students use computers or thesauruses to practice finding synonyms.
     

  • Recycled Book Art

    Mora incorporated pages from old books into her brightly colored collage illustrations. Examine the illustrations again with students and let them share their thoughts. If a prompt is needed, “I wonder why Oge Mora decided to use pages from old books in some of her illustrations . . . ” will spark a myriad of hypotheses and ideas. Ask your librarian if she has old books that have been weeded from the collection, or stop by a used bookstore and pick out some old books with interesting fonts, designs and illustrations. Tear the pages out of the book, and spread them out on a table along with bright construction paper, scissors and glue sticks. Give children time and space to create!

On November 10th, 2019, “Sesame Street,” arguably the most significant and influential children’s television show of the century, celebrated its 50th anniversary. Inviting children to “come and play!” these three books sparkle with the joy of neighbors and neighborhood days.
NonfictionChildren's & YAWomen's HistoryPicture BookBiography

Gift books: For the young and the young at heart

Feature by Julie Hale

Three delightful new Disney-related titles have arrived in time for the gift-giving weeks that lie ahead, with options for adults and little readers alike. Disney devotees young and old are in for a treat this holiday season!

The Queens of Animation by Nathalia Holt
Art lovers, film-history buffs and those drawn to all things Disney will adore Nathalia Holt’s The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History. Holt, bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls, offers an invaluable account of the studio’s overlooked female artists and writers—women who played key roles in the creation of classic films, enduring on-the-job discrimination and other obstacles along the way.

The book’s many unforgettable figures include Grace Huntington, the second woman to land a spot in Disney’s story department; Sylvia Moberly-Holland, whose ideas and artwork shaped the films Bambi and Fantasia; and Mary Blair, who created concept art for many a beloved movie and provided designs for the Disneyland ride “it’s a small world.” Holt also spotlights the work of current Disney women. Spanning nearly eight decades, her timely, well-crafted book gives an important group of artists their due.

Mary Blair’s Unique Flair by Amy Novesky
Mary Blair was indeed an animation queen, and she receives the royal treatment in Mary Blair’s Unique Flair: The Girl Who Became One of the Disney Legends. Author Amy Novesky delivers an accessible account of Blair’s life in this terrific children’s nonfiction book. An aspiring artist from the get-go, young Blair is captivated by color, but her parents lack the funds to pay for paint and other materials. Undeterred, she follows her dream, getting into art school and going on “to create colorful happily ever afters” at Walt Disney Studios, where she works on Cinderella and Peter Pan.

Mary’s story is brought to vivid life through Brittney Lee’s sensational cut-paper and gouache illustrations, which have the twinkling refinement of a Disney cartoon—small wonder, since Lee is an artist at (you guessed it!) Disney Animation Studios. This inspiring book is the perfect stocking stuffer for little illustrators-to-be.

They Drew as They Pleased Volume 5 by Didier Ghez
Animation fans and Disney aficionados alike will be wowed by They Drew as They Pleased Volume 5: The Hidden Art of Disney’s Early Renaissance: The 1970s and 1980s by Disney historian Didier Ghez. As the newest entry in Ghez’s series on the evolution of Disney, the book focuses on celebrated artists Ken Anderson and Mel Shaw, first-class draftsmen and storytellers at Disney who, after the death of Walt in 1966, breathed new life into the medium of animation at the studio.

In the 1970s and 80s, the two artists brought their creative talents to bear on cherished films such as Robin Hood and The Rescuers. They Drew as They Pleased abounds with their colorful concept drawings, character designs and sketches and includes fascinating facts about their working methods. From start to finish, the book is a Disney lover’s dream—and a stellar tribute to a pair of animation pioneers.

Three delightful new Disney-related titles have arrived in time for the gift-giving weeks that lie ahead, with options for adults and little readers alike.

Sign Up

Stay on top of new releases: Sign up for our newsletter to receive reading recommendations in your favorite genres.

Sign up now

Trending Features

All Features