In Donna Barba Higuera’s distinctive novel "Alebrijes", an impoverished boy defies a realm of fantastical totalitarianism. Leandro is a crafty, compassionate thirteen-year-old who lives with his younger sister, Gabi, outside of... Read More

After her mother’s death, a little girl is joined by Empty, a large translucent creature, in this English-Persian picture book about moving through and growing with grief. Muted gray illustrations gradually gain color as the little... Read More

In the emotive novel "Iz the Apocalypse", a musical girl works through her trauma in search of a sense of belonging. In the emotional whirlwind of Susan Currie’s novel "Iz the Apocalypse", a girl in foster care with a passion for music... Read More

"Blessed Hands" is an engaging short story collection that’s filled with glimpses into the lives of those whose voices are not often heard. Translated from Yiddish, Frume Halpern’s short story collection "Blessed Hands" captures... Read More

A child treks across the Mexican desert with their mother, guided by the moon as they make their way to their father and to freedom. In poetic prose, the child muses on the moon, likening themselves and their journey to the celestial... Read More

With a dizzying menagerie of connections, scandals, and misremembered histories that become clearer as the book progresses, "The Palisades" is a dark tale about the follies of lifelong pity. A glitz-obsessed caregiver is mired in... Read More

A girl is consumed with grief and guilt when her mother goes missing in Siȃn Hughes’s luminous novel "Pearl". Marianne recalls the exact moment when the police stopped looking for her missing mother and began searching for her body.... Read More

Kathy Kleiner Rubin’s earnest memoir "A Light in the Dark" spans three brushes with death. As a child, Rubin had lupus and was isolated until high school—the first death sentence she avoided. In college, she and her roommate survived... Read More