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THE HOPE NOT PLOT

It’s 1965 and Churchill, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, is near death. As the nation, and much of the world, prepares to mourn him, some nefarious elements see an opportunity: The funeral will certainly attract powerful figures from all over the world, and it creates a fine opportunity for chaos—or so goes […]

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YAYA AND THE DAN-TATS

“Every Saturday, me and Mom bring Yaya a small box of dan-tats to share,” the young narrator informs readers. The child’s grandfather, who lives in a nursing home, uses a wheelchair and has memory issues. Though Yaya speaks only Chinese, the two bond over their love of egg tarts. But today, Yaya promptly takes the […]

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MURDER IN MINIATURE

Her work as a consultant to the local police, along with what she earns selling custom-made dollhouses, has helped widowed Maple Bishop stabilize her financial situation. But it’s clear that the miniature crime scene recreations that she makes for Elderberry Sheriff Sam Scott are a source not only of income but of professional pride and […]

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A STEEPING OF BLOOD

Arthie Casimir and her brother, Jin, managed to uncover the real identity of—and steal a ledger with incriminating evidence about—the Ram, monarch of Ettenia, but their crew, a mix of vampires and humans, is irrevocably changed. The revelation of a secret leads to a rift between the siblings, the Ram is still in power, and […]

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UNDER THE DRAGON’S SHADOW

It’s 1978, and Jon Fenton, the courier for New York City’s notorious Flying Dragons gang, is on the run. After getting wind of gang leader Sifu Qiu’s plan to kill him, he took the money he was supposed to deliver and faked his own death. However, the gang still wants a measure of revenge, and […]

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THE PATCHWORK CLOAK OF KAMAL BEY

Zada opens his memoir with a terrifying scene: Yanked off a bus at a military roadblock on the way to Mardin, Turkey, in 2015, the seasoned journalist wondered if the men with semiautomatic weapons would ever let him go. The author then flashes back to his very first trip to “the East” at age 24, […]

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BLUE RIDGE CALLING

College dropout Sam became obsessed with supernatural lore following the death of their mother. Sage, who’s grounded in science and reason, has little patience for ghost stories. Their childhood friend Kora, who mourns the family’s loss as if it were her own, joins Sage’s search without hesitation. Alongside them are Kora’s new maybe-girlfriend, Hunter; Kora’s […]

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All Through the Crown

The author uses the structure of the classic children’s song “The Wheels on the Bus” to introduce the idea of chakra and its flow. Beginning with the overall energy in the body going “round and round,” each subsequent verse focuses on a different part, moving from the bottom up. Readers are first encouraged to focus […]

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PORN IS NOT SEX ED!

The author, who appears throughout the illustrations with light-brown skin and long, dark brown hair, introduces herself as Jess. She’s a welcoming guide, who opens by describing her goal of “normalizing the conversation about porn,” which “nearly 3 in 4 teens” have been exposed to. Throughout the book, she encourages readers to discuss the contents […]

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BEHIND THE EYE

Born in 1934 during the Great Depression, the author remembers the first time he saw a television set. The thrill he had always enjoyed in movie theaters “was now available in people’s living rooms.” From that moment in the 1940s onward, Jankowski was hooked on TV. After graduating from Canisius College as an English major […]