Patchwork Dolls: Stories

by Ysabelle Cheung

Throughout her debut collection, Patchwork Dolls, Hong Kong writer and gallerist Ysabelle Cheung writes with a beguiling matter-of-factness as she impressively explores seemingly fantastical impossibilities over 10 stories. In the disturbing titular story, these so-called "Patchwork Dolls" sell their facial features for thousands of dollars to "moneyed people seeking an upgrade to newer, trendier faces." This "method of transdermal patchworking" eventually comes under fire for "murky racial inequities": most

Read More »

The Vanishing Sea: The Tale of How the Aral Sea Became the Aral Desert

by Dinara Mirtalipova

In the enlightening picture book The Vanishing Sea, author/illustrator Dinara Mirtalipova (Woven of the World) introduces young readers to the tragic disappearance of the Aral Sea and the effects it has had on Central Asia. Her distinctive art, inspired by Uzbek and Russian folklore, accompanies the impassioned narrative, producing a singular cautionary tale.

"A long, long time ago, when the earth was removing its icy blanket, the Aral Sea was born. The lake was so vast that the People called her MOTHER SEA."

Read More »

Warning Sign

by Tracy Sierra

Tracy Sierra (Nightwatching) conjures a terrifying narrative with Warning Signs, in which a 12-year-old boy grapples with hazards on several levels. This novel of horror and abuse is both enthralling and thought-provoking, liable to keep the reader up all night for a single-sitting read or to inspire nightmares--all worthwhile for the masterful handling of serious topics.

Chapter one introduces Zach, aged 11, his younger sister, Bonnie, and their mother, Grace, as they ski uphill into the mountains. Grace,

Read More »

Frog: And Other Essays

by Anne Fadiman

As she's shown in previous collections such as Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, Anne Fadiman (The Wine Lover's Daughter) consistently produces essays that are simultaneously erudite and entertaining. The seven pieces in Frog, covering subjects that include a not-so-beloved pet amphibian, the use of pronouns, and a pair of historical excursions, are more of these highly polished gems.

The collection's titular essay relates the hilarious story of Bunky, an African clawed frog Fadiman's son raised from

Read More »

Few Blue Skies

by Carolina Ixta

In this stunning, passionate YA novel, a teen and her community grapple with the impossible, complicated scenario of being forced to choose between jobs and health.

Mexican American teen Paloma's beloved Southern California town is inundated with warehouses for Selva, a mega e-commerce company. Selva's arrival brought jobs along with all the associated pollution and physical hardships on workers. Two years ago, Paloma and ex-boyfriend Julio learned about the group scholarship, Projects for Purpose, and planned

Read More »

A Kid Like Me

by Norm Feuti

Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor-winning author, illustrator, and cartoonist Norm Feuti (Beak & Ally series) sheds a gentle but decidedly direct light on the social and financial complexities of a working-class kid entering middle school.

Nathan and best friend Ricky are white kids living in the Millbrook Estates trailer park with their mothers. They'll be attending the same, majority-white middle school but have no classes together and Ethan is nervous. The nerves, sadly, prove prescient. On his first day,

Read More »