In 1980s Estonia, Soviet forces still occupy the country, but Estonians are feeling more freedom to speak out in protest. This political landscape frames the uncanny story of Vik, whose younger sister, Anna, disappeared five years ago, when the two of them sneaked into the bog despite having been warned of its danger. Vik’s life is a shadow of what it once was … and then Anna reappears. Vik is stunned and joyous—until she realizes that Anna is still five years old.
2025 books
Beasts
With the arrival of predatory creatures known simply as “the beasts” comes the collapse of society. With their mother dead—killed by a beast—13-year-old Abdi and his little sister, Alva, are on the move, searching for food and making their way toward the island where their father is working.
Diggers, Dozers & Dumpers
Fourteen microstories starring anthropomorphic animals introduce readers to various types of construction and farming vehicles. Amanda Crocodile, for example, is fed up with having to ride her bike to work along a bumpy dirt track. “Want to learn some swear words? Try biking to work with Amanda sometime! / One day, Amanda has had enough. She gets herself a bulldozer.”
Just in Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
On a Norwegian island not far from the North Pole, deep inside a mountain, more than 580 million seeds are stored in three temperature-controlled vaults. The seeds originate around the globe and are sent to Svalbard as a backup: “Just in case.” There they are preserved and carefully protected, available to be withdrawn and planted at any time, even centuries from the time of deposit.
Lady’s Knight
When blacksmith’s daughter Gwen, a talented metalworker in her own right, joins the annual jousting tournament as “Sir Gawain,” she only hopes to prove to herself that she’s as skilled as any male knight. Enter bold, clever Lady Isobelle, whose hand in marriage has been promised to whomever wins.
Scattergood
In 1941, Peggy’s modest world revolves around her parents, cousin and best friend Delia, and neighbor friends who live within walking distance of her family’s rural Iowa farm. But lately everything seems to be changing.
A Pocket Full of Rocks
“You can do a lot with a pocket full of rocks.” There is repetition and constancy but also variation and surprise in this picture book as the young narrator (brown-skinned) collects rocks in winter, flower petals in spring, shells at the beach in summer, and acorns in fall.
In the Desert
A standout collection of clever, engaging poems about animals and insects living in the Sahara begins by setting the desert scene, where sun “blinds the sky / and scrapes the land / clean like a butcher / with his favorite knife.”
The Rose Bargain
It’s 1848, and cruel fae queen Mor has ruled London for centuries, allowing each of her subjects to make a single bargain with her. Most young women do so during their debutante season, trading something of value—a body part, a memory, a talent—in exchange for a quality that will boost their marriageability.
Bad Badger: A Love Story
Septimus is a fastidious, solitary badger living in a little cottage by the sea. Because he has spots instead of typical badger stripes on his nose, prefers the seaside to the traditional forest habitat of badgers, and likes drinking tea and listening to opera, he considers himself a “bad badger.” Sometimes he wonders if he even is a badger.