No sooner does 10-year-old Tick spot the black sails of the offshore Drenish fleet than he knows it’s time to ride for King’s Keep, the mountain fortress that has always protected the people of Ellia from invaders. On a mission that turns extra urgent after he discovers evidence of a traitor at the Keep, he […]
Lia arrives at Anhame, a crafthall for honing anar—the craft of people with “higher senses.” Lia is a fifth-level anar, meaning she has healing abilities. She can also see others’ inner soulforms, which represent people’s true nature (some take the shapes of animals). That alone puts her on the same level as Anhame’s masters, but […]
Simi and Rupi Naik are estranged sisters, Indian immigrants to the U.S. who find love and salvation through a dramatic sacrifice. Simi has built an enviable life in rural Kentucky, with a nursing career that suits her (even if she has to work three jobs to sustain it) and the love of Prem Gupta, a […]
The titular pair have settled into second grade, but worrywart Shermy has plenty to contend with, from a substitute teacher who doesn’t follow the class schedule to anxieties about Shake’s possible upcoming move. Short sections, organized by month from December through February, contrast Shermy’s orderly nature and “fizzy and loud” Shake’s more laid-back one. On […]
While enjoying an early spring day in Arendelle, Queen Anna, her true love Kristoff, and snowman Olaf witness rocks falling from the nearby mountains and the townspeople running for cover. As the queen, Anna knows it is her responsibility to keep her people safe from harm—even if that means taking a perilous journey into the […]
Seek-and-find aficionados who loved, or who missed sailing on, Nohana’s Penguin Cruise (2025) will want to explore the five stories (as in floors) and 25 stories (as in tales), one per apartment, featured in this Japanese import. Endpapers introduce the 50-plus inhabitants: rabbit kits and adults, plus two cats, two mice, a flock of small […]
One month after Samhain, Younwity Hidden Institute of Witchcraft is still afflicted by the dark spell Lilith cast on school grounds, and even the Coven can’t fix things. The recently formed magical fissure is causing significant tremors and weird occurrences, like monsoons in the dining hall. Abigail and her friend Noreen continue to be bullied […]
Ever since the Great Betrayal, light in the Kingdom of Wildfel has slowly been consumed by shadow and darkness. Twelve-year-old master thief Finn, who was orphaned at a young age, wants to flee with his younger sister, Lydia, before the light disappears completely. He and his best friend, Adrion, have an idea: They’ll catch and […]
On a spring day in 2001, a couple brought their 6-year-old granddaughter, Haley, on a hike with friends to Cave Mountain, in Arkansas’ Buffalo National River Wilderness. As author Hale (The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore, 2011) relates, this was followed was the largest manhunt in the state’s history. Days after being found by locals, Haley […]
Playwright Okuni ranges through Shakespeare’s oeuvre for lesser-known snippets of dialogue, which he reshapes into sonnet-like stanzas of 11 or 12 lines. The poems play very loosely on classic Shakespearean themes, prominent among them being the travails and traps of (especially royal) power. “My Crown” features lines from Henry VI, in which a furious Queen […]