This self-aware picture book turns “The Three Little Pigs” on its head. A writer starts writing the traditional story but keeps being interrupted; the pigs and the wolf have other ideas for the plot, setting, and their characters. In the end, the foursome decides they don’t need the writer at all; they write her out in favor of their own high-flying happy ending. This charming title is a subtle primer on storytelling, introducing children to the essential building blocks of the craft. Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies ..read more

Bitterroot is an intricate novel—a tapestry of family dynamics, generational trauma, and the pursuit of social justice in a small town. In Steeplejack in Idaho’s Bitterroot Mountains, Hazel, a forensic artist, is used to seeing death up close. But then her husband dies in a car accident, and her twin brother, Kento, is assaulted. Kento’s attack is orchestrated by a member of the town’s anti-LGBTQ+ community––the ex-husband of Corinda, Kento’s surrogate mother. Threatened by homophobia and racism, Hazel learns to navigate her new normal. As she defends her brother, she unearths unsettling reve ..read more

K-Ming Chang’s Cecilia is a surreal novella about the intense, intoxicating memories that surface when an outcast reencounters her childhood best friend. In childhood, Seven’s friendship with Cecilia was passionate to the point of brutality. They shared an alienating identity of fatherlessness, and they delighted and tormented each other in equal measure. Insecure Seven fantasized about eating her more confident friend to make their bond stronger. Her desire for Cecilia became all-consuming. The story begins about ten years after the former friends lost contact. Most of it plays out in Seven ..read more

A novel about sisterhood, witch hunts, common cruelties, and survival, Anna Noyes’s The Blue Maiden pulses with earthy magic. “They attacked me”: it’s a faint admission breathed into the cellar dark, on the night when Bea and Ulrika’s childhood splinters into two parts. The cruel boys in the reeds made it impossible for the preacher’s daughters to keep traipsing, barefoot and free, through the wilds with their mother’s herbal grimoire as their guide. There’s always someone at fault in such tragedies—here, it’s not the girl who arranged hemlock into bouquets. For Bea, who longs to belong, it’s ..read more

Jonathan Corcoran’s poignant memoir No Son of Mine chronicles both his life and his mother’s, unraveling the complex emotions involved with grief, family, and acceptance. In 2020, Corcoran received news that his mother, Patty, had died. Stricken with COVID-19 and living in New York at the apex of sickness and death, he and his husband Sam had no choice but to tamp down their grief. His narrative cycles through befores and afters: his mother discovering he was gay and disowning him; the painful rift and painful attempts at mending their relationship; and at last, his mother succumbing after a ..read more

A mother meant to be in mourning chases her daughter’s shadow to Guatemala, determined to uncover the truth, in Andromeda Romano-Lax’s electrifying thriller The Deepest Lake. Jules, just out of college and unsure of her perfect next step, has a habit of misunderstanding her mother, Rose. Rose doesn’t seem to get angry, and Jules presumes that this translates to no passion. What Jules knows for certain is that she doesn’t want to be like that. Thus, she becomes a wanderer, traveling Central America in search of her story, eschewing comforts and pursuing adventures. But sometimes our mothers ar ..read more

In the short stories that make up Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio’s novel Reuniting with Strangers, women from the Philippines try to make places for themselves halfway across the world. For many Filipinas in the collection, the only way to improve their lot in life is by finding work abroad, even if that means leaving behind loved ones to care for strangers on another continent. After years of hard work, if they are lucky, they can bring their relatives over for a reunion that is never as smooth as they imagined. Only their good memories and pride in themselves give them the resilience needed to ..read more

During the final decades of the Soviet Union, the country’s Jewish population was stuck in an impossible situation, unable to practice their religion and also forbidden to leave. Shaul Kelner’s A Cold War Exodus shows how a movement of disparate communities and creative tactics brought attention to their plight, making mass emigration possible. Opening with a discussion of how Judaism in the USSR was suppressed in the years following World War II, the book explains how shifting US-Soviet relations provided opportunities for influence. It then focuses on the US’s slice of the international act ..read more

Golden yellow and sherbet pink pair with calming greens in the mystical illustrations of this picture book that reminds us all to enjoy the journey. When Papa Jo tells Charlie that his hourglass reminds him to take his time, she doesn’t understand; Charlie has always done things the fastest way. As they cook instead of going out to eat, walk through wildflowers instead of driving on roads, and eat homemade ice cream, she comes to appreciate the benefits of slowing down and being present. Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free cop ..read more

This breathtaking picture book depicts the beauty and indomitable history of the islands of Hawai’i and the Polynesian people through the storytelling vehicle of hula. Through hula, a girl learns about the creation of the islands, about her ancestors’ journeys across the sea, and about the heroes and romance of her culture’s mythology, developing a deep appreciation for her land and her people. Brilliant colors and striking details breathe life into lightning-scattered seas, rivers of lava, and a host of plants and animals. Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The pub ..read more