The Terrible Trio is a fun illustrated series, best described as The Bad Guys meets Madagascar!

In a world where all animals have superpowers, Zeb the zebra, Margarine the penguin, and Barry the lemur have the WORST powers of all.

Zeb, Margarine, and Barry end up at the back of the line to have the Superpower Supermarket Manager grant them their superpowers and end up getting the short end of the stick. Margarine is granted the special ability to make macaroni and cheese. Barry the Lemur is gifted with the power to write neatly. And Zeb the Zebra can now blend in with a crosswalk...

Working at a café and watching everybody else save the world day in and day out, Zeb, Margarine, and Barry wonder if they will ever get to be superheroes for a day themselves.

An instant New York Times and USA Today Bestseller!

"This book! It stole my heart. Chase and Finnegan have the kind of friendship we all need." —Barbara O'Connor, New York Times bestselling author of Wish

From the Newbery Honor-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Rover's Story comes the deeply moving story of a cheetah who forms a friendship with a rescue dog—a bond that will change their lives forever. Perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Rosanne Parry.

Finnegan is a rescue dog with a broken heart.
Chase is a newly orphaned cheetah cub.

The two animals couldn't be more different. But one day, they are brought together for the unlikeliest of reasons: Finnegan must help Chase gain the confidence she needs to perform as part of an educational program for children at a zoo.

Finnegan and Chase have each suffered losses and have trouble trusting. Yet somehow, they are just what the other needs. But if Finnegan isn’t able to help Chase overcome her fears, he won’t just be letting Chase down—he could be risking his new home as well.

Inspired by true stories from zoos across the country, award-winning author Jasmine Warga creates a heartwarming tale about how the power of friendship can transcend anything—even species.

"Utterly transporting. This book is all heart, and masterfully imagines the internal lives of two unlikely animal friends." —Eliot Schrefer, author of Endangered, a National Book Award Finalist

"Meet your new favorite animal story. Profoundly moving and vibrating with heart—this book will sit comfortably among the greats. Chase and Finnegan will stay with me for a long time. I loved it." —Tae Keller, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Trap a Tiger

"Jasmine Warga's brilliant and heartfelt storytelling made my heart soar. While spending time with Chase and Finnegan, words like friendship, family, connection, love, light, and joy kept racing through my mind. Most of all, the story filled me with HOPE!" —John Schu, librarian and New York Times best-selling author of Louder Than Hunger

A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK

“Wait for Me left me speechless...An absolutely gorgeous exploration of friendship, authenticity, and the power that a few strings and a well-written lyric can wield.” ―Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

From the author of Mercury and Shiner comes a novel about the bond between two female folk singers, the love stories that haunt them, and the music that brings them together to burn bright. 

Young folk singer Elle Harlow reaches the height of her prowess in 1973, with two wildly beloved albums to her name and a hidden history of impossible heartbreak. When she sets foot on the famed Grand Ole Opry stage, a far cry from the mountain that raised her, Elle gives the biggest performance of her life. Then, to the dismay of shocked fans, her producer, and the man who still loves her, she vanishes. 

Almost two decades later, eighteen-year-old Marijohn Shaw is spending her summer pumping gas, writing songs on her broken mandolin, and longing for a mother. Her father, Abe, has always sworn he was the last person to see Elle Harlow alive, but when a meteor strikes the woods of their sleepy Pennsylvania town and a piece of Elle’s past emerges from the wreckage, the truth of her disappearance sets fire to everything Marijohn believes about herself, her music, and her ability to love with abandon. 

Wait for Me exalts the lush hills of Appalachia and the bright lights of Nashville as it reveals the legacy of Elle Harlow, the bold voice that defined her, the intimate betrayal that undid her, and the unexpected faith of another young woman determined to resurrect her.

From Mieko Kawakami, award-winning author of Breasts and Eggs, comes a bold novel of sacrifice and the tumultuous bonds of sisterhood, set in the gritty Tokyo of the 1990s.

“I can never forget the sense of pure astonishment I felt when I first read Mieko Kawakami.” —Haruki Murakami

“To read her work is to feel that she is not afraid of anything at all.” —The New York Times Book Review

Hana has nothing – she’s fifteen years old and living in a tiny apartment in a suburb of Tokyo with her young mother, a hostess at a local dive bar. They have no money, no security. Then Kimiko appears.

Kimiko is older, a bright light in Hana’s dark world. Together they set up Lemon, a bar that, despite its shabby setting and seedy clientele, becomes a haven for Hana. Suddenly Hana has a job she loves, friends to share her days with, and the glittering promise of money. She feels like a normal girl. She feels invincible.

But in the narrow alleys of Sangenjaya, nothing is as it seems. Soon all of Hana’s hope, her optimism, and her drive will be pushed to the limit . . .

A story of enduring friendship and deep betrayal, Sisters in Yellow is a masterpiece of teenage dreams and adult cruelties that confirms Mieko Kawakami as one of the great writers of her generation.

A hijacked New York subway train, an anonymous killer, and a young man trapped by his hidden past converge in a breathless, breathtaking thriller

Do not turn off your phone
Do not get off the train
I know who you really are 

Fired and walked out by security on his first day at his new job in New York City, Ben Cross thought his day couldn't get worse. But he couldn't be more wrong. Getting on the 1 train headed uptown, Ben starts receiving text messages from an anonymous killer, showing that they've already killed someone, then pointedly killing another as they got off the train to prove they aren't bluffing and to ensure Ben follows orders. But Ben wasn't picked at random—he has a history that no one is supposed to know. 

At the same time, A NYPD detective, Kelly Hendricks, is on punishment duty with the transit police. The first one on the scene after the first murder, she gets on the train to find out what is really going on. 

Switching rapidly between Cross and Hendricks, as the hijacked 1 train heads from South Ferry to 181st, the secret to the killer lies in Ben's own history—why he's been targeted and punished.

In development to be a major TV series on Peacock, adapted by Tina Fey and Lang Fisher

From New York Times bestseller Elle Cosimano comes Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line—the highly anticipated next installment in the beloved Finlay Donovan series.

"Finlay Donovan is irresistible!"—Janet Evanovich
“This series is magical!”—Christina Lauren
“The perfect blend of mystery and rom-com.”—Ali Hazelwood

Motherhood is messy. So is covering for your partner in crime.

Life hasn’t been easy for Finlay Donovan lately, but it just got a whole lot harder. Her nanny and partner-in-crime, Vero, has been extradited from Virginia to Maryland, where she’s facing criminal charges for a theft she swears she didn’t commit. A prisoner to an ankle bracelet as she awaits her trial, Vero is forced to live with her overbearing mother and nosy aunt. Threatening messages keep arriving on her mother’s door, demanding Vero “turn over the money . . . or else.” And if she doesn’t figure out who really stole her former sorority’s treasury funds, her next home might be a prison cell.

But proving her innocence might be an impossible feat. Vero was the treasurer of her sorority when the money went missing—one of the only people who had access to the cash. And her alibi is a date who ghosted her. With her court date quickly approaching, and her mysterious stalker on her tail, Vero needs to clear her name fast.

Finlay decides a trip to Maryland is in order. After all, Vero stood by her through her darkest moments, and Finlay will be damned if she lets her best friend and children’s nanny be convicted for something she didn’t do. She sets off on a mission to suss out the real thief and bring Vero home.

Disposing of a body is as easy as A, B, C! Introducing the Alphabet Girls, four senior gal pals turned accidental sleuths--The Thursday Murder Club meets The Golden Girls, with a splash of Killers of a Certain Age

At sixty-nine years old, Claire Reynolds is changing things up. She's volunteering. Learning to rollerblade. She's rescued a shelter dog. And today, she's killed a man. It wasn't on her to-do list, but stuff happens.

Besides, the man in question was strangling her good friend Daphne, and what's a gal to do? Scream, possibly. Call the cops. Or--at retired officer Daphne's insistence--call in the rest of their senior gal pals, roll up the body in a blanket, and toss it off a cliff.

The dead man is a member of the local crime family, and if the police get involved it's not just Daphne at risk, it's them all.

But the body's just the start. Soon the Alphabet Girls--Atsuko, Barbara, Claire, and Daphne--must transform into the Alphabet Sleuths, if they're to keep both their liberty . . . and their lives.

Meet Atsuko Kimura (75, retired journalist), Barbara Wright (age redacted, retired actress), Claire Reynolds (69, retired paralegal), and Daphne Cole (62, retired cop) in the first funny, fast-paced Alphabet Girls Mystery from award-winning author Laura Jensen Walker.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Say You'll Remember Me comes a beautiful, compelling novel that revels in laughter, friendship, and the messy choices life can throw our way.



In everyone's life, there's a split-second decision that can change everything...



For Larissa, it came when choosing who to ride home with after a concert. That night, she had no idea she'd met the perfect man. She and Chris are great friends, co-parenting a slightly unhinged rescue Yorkie, sharing their favorite books, and judging bread (pumpernickel for the win!). For the first time amid all her side hustles to scrape by, things finally feel easy.



But she didn't choose Chris to drive her home all those months ago--she went with his best friend, and he became her boyfriend. All Chris wants is for Larissa to be happy. Standing by on the sidelines is slowly killing him, but making a move would destroy someone else. How can something that feels so right be absolutely impossible?

AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

Gideon the Ninth meets Moby-Dick in USA Today bestselling author Alexis Hall's thrilling SF debut, Hell's Heart!

They are monsters, legends, gods.

They are our prey.

Earth is dead. Which leaves us stuck living in atmospheric domes on planets that will kill us if we blink wrong, or run out of fuel. And by “fuel” I mean “the cerebrospinal fluid of gargantuan, quasi-psychic space monsters”.

I joined the hunt hoping to get paid and maybe laid, but mostly paid. Instead, I followed a captain chasing abominations in the skies of Jupiter.

We battled the Möbius Beast itself, there in the red eye of the world.

Spoiler: we lost.

The definitive biography of Tojo Hideki, the controversial general who redefined military leadership in Showa-era Japan before his downfall during World War II.

The military general who became Emperor Hirohito’s prime minister, Tojo Hideki is most often remembered as an iron-fisted leader who dragged Japan into World War II and—after spectacular losses—was eventually executed as a war criminal. Yet Tojo was far more than his ignominious end. In fact, as Peter Mauch argues, he was one of the twentieth century’s most accomplished military statesmen.

Over a career of some forty years, Tojo successfully launched himself into the highest echelons of political power. He was not only a tactical genius, Mauch shows, but also a savvy administrator, a fierce imperialist, and a deeply loyal advisor to the emperor. Tojo’s career took off with the notorious Kwantung Army in Manchuria, where he played a key role in escalating the Sino-Japanese War during the 1930s. As he rose through the ranks, becoming minister of war and then army chief of staff, he honed the efficiency of the Imperial Army and enhanced its influence within the emperor’s court. All the while, he deftly negotiated the fractious military rivalries that arose wherever he went. Brilliant, ambitious, and often ruthless, Tojo reached political heights that were perhaps matched only by his precipitous fall in the final months of World War II.

Layered and evocative, Tojo is at once a riveting military history of Showa-era Japan and a nuanced portrait of the relentless personality at its center.

A March Indie Next Pick * A Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated Nonfiction Book of 2026 * A Barnes & Noble Reads Best Book of February 2026

From the author of the national bestseller The Dark Queens, an incandescent work of true crime and feminist history about Elizabeth Bathory, the woman alleged to be the world's most prolific female serial killer.

There have long been whispers, coming from the castle; from the village square; from the dark woods. The great lady-a countess, from one of Europe's oldest families-is a vicious killer. Some even say she bathes in the blood of her victims. When the king's men force their way into her manor house, she has blood on her hands, caught in the act of murdering yet another of her maids. She is walled up in a tower and never seen again, except in the uppermost barred window, where she broods over the countryside, cursing all those who dared speak up against her.

Told and retold in many languages, the legend of the Blood Countess has consumed cultural imaginations around the world. But despite claims that Elizabeth Bathory tortured and killed as many as 650 girls, some have wondered if the Countess was herself a victim- of one of the most successful disinformation campaigns known to history. So, was Elizabeth Bathory a monster, a victim, or a bit of both? With the breathlessness of a whodunit, drawing upon new archival evidence and questioning old assumptions, Shelley Puhak traces the Countess's downfall, bringing to life an assertive woman leader in a world sliding into anti-scientific, reactionary darkness-a world where nothing is ever as it seems. In this exhilarating narrative, Puhak renders a vivid portrait of history's most dangerous woman and her tumultuous time, revealing just how far we will go to destroy a woman in power.

A groundbreaking history of nuclear weapons across the world, from their invention to the end of the Cold War



How should we deal with nuclear weapons? The discovery of nuclear fission fundamentally changed the world order. Its power was harnessed, nuclear bombs invented, and the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed. In recurring international crises and calls for arms control, the threat of nuclear war has hung over humanity ever since.



David Holloway traces how these weapons shaped the last century, from the US-Soviet arms race to the rivalry between India and Pakistan. Deterrence and intimidation, alliances and war plans, international treaties and organizations have all played their role. At the centre were political leaders--among them Truman, Kennedy, and Reagan, as well as Stalin, Khrushchev, and Gorbachev--who all had their fingers on the nuclear button.



This is a global history of these fearsome weapons and our attempts to deal with the consequences of their existence--a story at once fascinating and repellent, of a very dangerous period in our history.

From the author of Unwell Women comes a powerful and groundbreaking new narrative history of motherhood and mothering.

Mothers make history. But what it has meant for mothers to do the physical and emotional work of mothering has, for centuries, been neglected in the stories of the past. Patriarchal control of motherhood has relegated the acts of growing, birthing, nurturing, and loving to the sidelines, and deemed it unimportant, women's work. Now, through the voices of women themselves, Elinor Cleghorn reclaims and retells the history of motherhood, showcasing the mothers, othermothers, midwives, activists, community leaders, and more who have shaped the course of history.

Beginning in the ancient world, we encounter a figurine made for a childbirth ritual over three thousand years ago. We meet extraordinary writers and poets, like Anne Bradstreet and Elizabeth Jocelin, who were expressing their innermost feelings about motherhood. During the seventeenth century, in the streets of London, we encounter unmarried mothers struggling against stigma and shame, and the women who strove to help them. Later, pioneers like Mary Wollstonecraft laid the intellectual foundation for the liberation of motherhood from male control, and the abhorrent treatment of enslaved mothers was brought to public attention by courageous activists like Sojourner Truth. These and many other brave characters lobbied for mothers of all classes and circumstances to be valued, respected, and supported--not as reproductive vessels, but as people.

“The next great middle grade author.” —Colby Sharp, literacy advocate

From the USA Today–bestselling author of Jawbreaker and Slouch, Breakout is a fresh and funny middle-grade novel about a girl with chronic acne figuring out how to feel good in her own skin.

Ellis Starr likes learning about active volcanoes. She does not like having acne that resembles them. But it’s not just cosplaying as a pepperoni pizza that has Ellis on the verge of erupting. Her mom’s hot-and-cold moods have the two of them butting heads nonstop—especially now that her mom is dating for the first time since her parents’ separation. Then there’s Ellis’s best friend, Aggy, whose own life—and skin—seems perfect. And who could forget that Ellis still needs to decide on a research topic for a big school project.

With eighth grade proving to be every bit as pesky as a new pimple, Ellis’s only bright spot is the time she spends with her aunt Lydia, whose adorable puppy, Rocco, is a natural stress reliever. (And perhaps the perfect subject for her project.) Maybe this season of breakouts can lead to a breakthrough about what Ellis needs to truly feel good in her own skin.

Rising star author Christina Wyman takes on a quintessential middle-school experience—acne—with her trademark humor, honesty, and heart. Breakout is a must-read for kids ages 8-12 who love Raina Telgemeier, Terri Libenson, Kelly Yang, Gordon Korman, and other endlessly funny and deeply heartfelt books that tackle big topics and universal coming-of-age experiences alike.

If you enjoyed Breakout, you’ll also love the USA Today bestsellers Jawbreaker and Slouch from Christina Wyman. Order your own copy today!

A poignant non-fiction comic that sheds light on the inclusive and life-changing world of skateboarding featuring brand new art from award-winning creator of In Waves, AJ Dungo.

Skateboarding is hard and it hurts. 

No one can tell you exactly who invented it, but it has inspired generations of brave warriors to hit the curbs. This book flies through skateboarding's weird history, and grinds through AJ and Brandon's best (and worst) skateboarding memories. They're not experts, but they know how much this sport means to the communities that have embraced it and made it their own.

From the first boards to the handmade zines of the punk movement, weaving through the VHS heydays and landing hard in the glitzy video game era, we're going to take you on a ride through the ages. Special shout-out to the pages where we attempt to tell you how to do tricks through the medium of comics. It's wild.

Everything you needed to know about the war between Russia and Ukraine as told by children's nonfiction author Ben Thompson (Guts & Glory series). Conversational and straightforward, this is a must-read for any reader looking to have a better understanding of the current global events.

It is late on the evening of Monday, February 25th, 2022, and Kyiv is burning. The unthinkable has happened. The Russians have invaded Ukraine. Land war has come to Europe, on a scale that has not been seen since the end of the Second World War.

Since this date, Russia has enacted a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, led by its leader, president Vladimir Putin. Ukraine has fought back in turn, led by their president, Volodymyr Zelensky—defending their homeland and its independent customs, people, history, and language.

Putin vs Zelensky by Ben Thompson chronicles the history of Ukraine and the events that set in motion the Russian invasion and ongoing, present-day war, as told through the stories and heritage of the conflict's two key players: Volodomyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin.

"Teen Guide: Social Anxiety defines the mental health issue, explains how it affects teens' daily lives, and provides ways teens can find support. The book includes a graphic that presents key information visually, source notes, and resources to aid in further research"-- Provided by publisher.

Being in high school is about a lot more than going to high school.

It's about discovering new places, hobbies, and people—and opening your eyes to the world. This book teaches the stuff teens won’t learn in high school, like how to host a film festival, plan a first road trip, or write a manifesto. Want to spend a day in silence? Learn how to make beats like a DJ? Or shut down a house party before the police do?

Whatever your creative, social, or academic inclinations, these pages will offer you 99 ways to amuse, educate, and interest yourself and your friends. Because your life doesn’t stop at 3 p.m. each day—it just gets started.

Newly revised, this edition reimagines the bestseller with updated text and brand new "side quests" to satisfy adventurous young minds who can't wait for the end-of-the-day bell to ring.

Emma Avery has always loved solving puzzles and codes, and now that she's processing a recent autism diagnosis and facing down seventh grade at a new school, they're even more important to her.

Then Emma meets Nate Lin. He's popular and funny and . . . loves codes, too. He introduces Emma to the Codebreakers, a group of his friends dedicated to cracking codes that have been discovered in the ruins of a nearby ghost town, which are believed to lead to magical objects. But they're not the only ones on the hunt, and when their sinister rivals close in on an object that grants unlimited wishes, the Codebreakers must race to beat them to it before they use it for dark magic.

The Wish Ring Cipher is a fast-paced adventure brimming with magic and warmth that introduces a tenacious and endearing heroine on a quest to save the world--and to make some friends along the way.

“Sole Survivor is an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride right from page one. A real-life Hatchet for a new generation. You gotta read it to believe it!” —Alan Gratz, New York Times–bestselling author of Refugee and Heroes

“Inspirational, propulsive, and unforgettable. This one leaves a mark.” —Lamar Giles, author of The Getaway and Ruin Road

This riveting true story from two New York Times–bestselling authors chronicles how a California sixth grader survived a deadly mountainside plane crash during a snowstorm.

Eleven-year-old Norman Ollestad is no stranger to extreme situations. Whether it’s surfing big swells off Topanga Beach or skiing in a blizzard, he has braved one adrenaline-rush adventure after another, pushed by his thrill-seeking father to realize that “anything’s possible.” And with Dad by his side, sometimes Norman believes him.

That motto is put to the ultimate test when the small plane Norman and his dad are aboard is engulfed by a snowstorm and crashes in the San Gabriel Mountains—with deadly consequences. Struggling in and out of lucidity, haunted by the voices and memories from difficult moments in his past, Norman must decide what to do while trapped eight thousand feet above sea level, facing dangers unlike any he has encountered before. 

Inspired by the harrowing true childhood experience of author Norman Ollestad, this astonishing, action-packed story, co-written with Brendan Kiely, is about fear, survival, and the complicated forces—and people—that shape us. Fast-paced and unputdownable, Sole Survivor is the perfect read for fans of Dusti Bowling’s The Canyon’s Edge, Megan E. Freeman’s Alone, and the I Survived series.

A laugh-out-loud, edge-of-your-seat time-travel adventure perfect for fans of The Last Last-Day-of-Summer and City Spies from New York Times bestseller, Krystal Sutherland.

Twins Pearl and Patrick are no ordinary twelve-year-olds. They’re geniuses, hiding in plain sight, who pull heists all over the world to further their scientific and historical research. Their criminal activity, including grand theft auto and espionage, has made them a regular nuisance to both the CIA and MI5. But it’s all been worth it. They’ve finally achieved their greatest triumph: time travel. Pearl’s Chrono-Loop can take the twins anywhere in time! Their first stop: ancient Egypt, where they even get to see King Tut!

But when they return home, they’re arrested by TIME—The Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry—a secret organization charged with maintaining the timeline. Turns out Pearl and Patrick didn’t invent time travel, after all—that happened two hundred years ago! And what Pearl did in ancient Egypt—killing a mosquito—could have rewritten history as we know it if not for TIME agents stepping in.

Punishment for disrupting the timeline is 100 years in the Eternal Abyss. But TIME, impressed by the pair, offers them a chance to become agents. Unfortunately, they fail their entrance exam and instead are banned from ever attempting time travel again. Pearl is furious, and when she’s offered another chance at time travel by a rival organization, she takes it! Too late, she realizes she’s been tricked and unwittingly plays a part in replacing the timeline they know with a nightmarish scenario.

Now Pearl and Patrick must clean up the mess they’ve made. But to restore the timeline, they have to go back to the beginning—to Lion Rock—to convince the real inventor of time travel to help them save time and the world.

In this electric time travel adventure steeped in unexplored Sri Lankan history, these whiz kids use their book smarts and a healthy dose of girl power to fight the ultimate villain.

From creative visionary of The Word Collector, Happy Dreamer, and Be You, #1 New York Times bestseller Peter H. Reynolds, comes an uplifting story about learning to follow your heart and your toes!

She glanced down... her ten toes reminded her to keep moving in the right direction: forward. Always forward.

It's Dream Big Week at school! Everyone is excited to share their dreams for the future -- except Charley. She has no idea what she wants for her future. But on her walk home, Charley learns that even if she doesn't know exactly what she wants to be when she grows up, she knows what KIND of person she wants to be.

From our most celebrated, bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds, this inspirational tale serves as a reminder to readers of all ages that while we might not have all the answers to life's biggest questions, the important thing is to trust yourself and keep moving with an open heart and open mind -- always forward.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of The Wonderful Things You Will Be comes an enchanting picture book about a child finding their "wild" self.

What would you do if you let the wild in? 

Eleanor loved wild things. 
Every wing and wild sprout.

There was something wild inside of her,
waiting to come out...

With gorgeous illustrations, this book is the ideal addition to any bedtime reading routine or read aloud. The Wildest Thing beautifully expresses a timeless message about little ones unleashing their inner "wild" and encouraging their budding imagination and unique individuality.

In this darling picture book, the cutest, floofiest cat has a very busy, very mischievous day!



Floof is floofy.

Floof has many hobbies.

Floof has very important work to do and Floof also has a lot of friends.

Floof is about to have a very busy day...



An irresistible new picture book for cat-lovers, cute-lovers, and anyone who has ever been a little bit mischievous!



Kids (and grownups!) will delight in noticing that when the text says one thing, the pictures say something very different. Floof also gently (and humorously) teaches readers the importance of self-love, self-care, and self-belief. This floofy cat is sure to make every reader smile!

Kirkus Best Book "An unforgettable adventure with a deeply endearing, slightly chaotic heroine." --Kyle Lukoff, author of Newbery Honor book Too Bright to See

"All the suspense and intrigue of a middle-school Da Vinci Code. Fast-paced fun and plenty of charm to boot." --Christopher Healy, author of No One Leaves the Castle

"Thrilling." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Surprises aplenty, real danger, and lots of laughs." --Booklist (starred review)

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler meets Indiana Jones! A young adventurer races to break the family curse by repatriating the artifacts her famed ancestor "saved." Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan, Kwame Mbalia, and Rena Barron.

Cincinnati Lee's great great (great?) grandfather is famous. His adventures discovering ancient artifacts have been made into movies, and his work is widely respected by museums across the world. The thing is, in that line of work, you're bound to get cursed. And that leaves your great great (great?) granddaughter to break the curse by returning the artifacts you "preserved."

Cincinnati's own adventure begins in the Cosmopolitan Museum in New York City, where her single mom works and Cincinnati has grown up. Soon she learns about the ancient Spear of Destiny--and its potential to right all the wrongs in her family's past. Or bring about the end of the world. It all depends on whose hands it falls into. Cincinnati must beat two relic hunters to the spear, and her quest will take her to surprising locations throughout the city and even across the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, she'll make a new friend (which is not the easiest thing to do), make some enemies (surprisingly easy to do), and ultimately learn what makes the world worth saving. Acclaimed author Heidi Heilig makes a dazzling middle grade debut with an irrepressible hero, a compelling cast of friends and enemies, nonstop action, and a thoughtful approach to viewing our responsibilities to each other and the world around us.

One girl. A centuries-old curse. A race across the world to set things right.

• A Daring Museum Heist: Cincinnati grew up in the Cosmopolitan Museum, which gives her a home-field advantage when she decides to "liberate" a cursed Chachapoyas idol.
• Rivals to... Well, Still Rivals: She's not the only descendant of a famed archaeologist at her school. Sebastian Thomas is determined to get his hands on the same artifacts--and he doesn't play fair.
• A Race for Ancient Artifacts: From the heart of Manhattan to the streets of Paris, Cincinnati must hunt down legendary relics like the Spear of Destiny before they fall into the wrong hands.
• Repatriation and Responsibility: More than just an adventure, this is a quest to right the wrongs of the past, questioning who really owns history and what it means to protect a legacy.

Inspire readers of all ages with the power of hope and dreaming in this sweet and fanciful board book from the one and only Sandra Boynton!

Dare to dream with When Pigs Fly!, a story about the gentle relationship between a parent and child (who both happen to be pigs and dreamers). Sandra Boynton’s celebration of imagination, whimsy, and hope is a song for dreamers everywhere with an emotional message: never mind the doubters in your life, because it’s a beautiful thing when pigs fly.

Oh, I know you for a DREAMER
‘cause I’ve been a dreamer, too.
You’ve got that faraway look
In your searching eyes, and a
heart that’s steady and true.

The explosive first book in a new middle-grade graphic novel series featuring two heroic but dim-witted frog superheroes, for fans of InvestiGators and Dog Man!

No one ever said it was easy being green! The contaminated swamp where Dr. Kim conducts experiments is overrun with mutants and evil machines like the Hater Gator and the Robot Trash Dolls. That's why she tinkered with amphibian genes to create superheroes Fantastic Frog and sidekick Tad Lad.

In their first adventure, the frogs leap forth to battle the scaly swamp thing terrorizing Sector 1. Will the Hater Gator's tail flails flatten this duo before they discover the truth behind what's gone rotten in their swamp?

And in their second adventure, the duo stumble upon a landfill of disgusting, off-brand toys in Sector 2 . . . which come alive! Outnumbered and totally grossed out, can our heroes defeat these Robot Trash Dolls?

Kasumi and Kyousuke are polar opposites when it comes to personality. Kasumi is reserved, soft-spoken and shy; Kyousuke is energetic and has always been popular among their peers. As the saying goes though, opposites have a tendency to attract, and these two have been fast friends since elementary school. To Kasumi, Kyousuke has always been a hero to look up to, someone who supports him and saves him from the bullies. But now, school is over; their relationship suddenly becomes a lot less simple to describe. Facing the world - and one another - as adults, both men find there are things they struggle to say out loud, even to each other.

This book contains sexual content and is intended for an audience aged 18 years and up.

Klara and the Sun meets S. A. Barnes’s Dead Silence with a touch of Becky Chambers’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built in Nebula Award-winning author A.D. Sui’s darkly philosophical, locked room murder mystery, as a death monk and a team of researchers trapped onboard a spaceship of the dead encounter something beyond human understanding…

Vessel Iris has devoted himself to the Starlit Order, performing funeral rites for the dead across the galaxy, guiding souls back into the Infinite Light. Despite the meaning he finds in his work and the comfort of AI companionship, his relationships with the living leave him longing for deeper connection.

The spaceship Counsel of Nicaea has been lost for more than a thousand years, its passengers reduced to dust and bone. A relic of Earth’s dying past, its sudden appearance has attracted a team of academics eager to investigate its archeological history. And Iris has been assigned to bring peace to the crew’s long departed souls.

Carpeted in moss and intertwined with vines, Nicaea is more forest than ship. Iris’s religious rituals are met with bemusement by the scientists—and outright hostility by engineer Yan Fukui.

But the plant life isn’t the only sentience to have survived in the past millennia. Something onboard is stalking the explorers one by one. And Iris with his AI enhancement may be their only hope for survival. . .

IN OUTER SPACE NO ONE CAN HEAR YOUR PRAYERS

THE INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER. DELUXE EDITION WITH STENCILED EDGES, SPOT GLOSS AND GOLD FOIL.


In this hilarious gay fantasy romance, a reclusive sorcerer is forced to protect a cowardly knight after a prophecy ties their fates together. Funny, touching and inventive, this brilliant debut is perfect for fans of Django Wexler and Dreadful.

In Which Many Dangerous and Homosexual Things Happen.

All his life, Sir Cameron has stayed as far away from danger as possible. He is quite frankly too handsome to die a pointless death in battle. But then the Church hands down a prophecy to his fellow knights: the only way to defeat their nemesis, the mad sorcerer Merulo, is to kill Sir Cameron. Short of ideas, Cameron throws himself on the mercy of the one person who now actually wants him to survive: the mad sorcerer.

Merulo isn’t thrilled to be babysitting a spoilt, attention-seeking knight, but transmogrifying him into a vulture is at least entertaining. Cameron, meanwhile, is on a voyage of self-discovery. It turns out he’s really, really into surly sorcerers who lock him up and tell him what to do. Who knew?

As a legion of knights surround their stronghold, the sorcerer’s poisonous ambitions draw ever closer to fruition. Cameron is quite invested in not dying, but he finds he’s also invested in Merulo. And sometimes, supporting the sorcerer you care about means taking an interest in their hobbies. Even if that hobby is trying to kill God.

Even if it might get you killed, too.

Fall in love with this laugh-out loud, genre-bending romp full of concussed elves and queer romance like you've never seen before.

A brazen killer sparks Theodosia Browning’s sense of justice in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.

As fireflies dazzle like tiny glowing lanterns, tea maven Theodosia hosts an elegant evening tea on the patio of the Tangled Rose B and B. But in this gentle darkness an intruder has made their way in and slipped deadly drugs into the baked Alaska of Mrs. Van Courtland, one of Charleston’s local grande dames. Shocked by this brazen act, urged on by Mrs. V’s grieving son, Theodosia begins her own shadow investigation.

Soon, she finds herself at odds with a greedy developer, the questionable residents of Honey Badger House, a vengeful ex-daughter-in-law, ne’er do well relatives, and a housekeeper who knows all the secrets.

As Theodosia hosts a Moulin Rouge Tea and a Queen Victoria Tea, her tea sommelier Drayton is assaulted by a masked stranger and the fiancé of Mrs. V’s son is kidnapped. It’s only at the Starry Starry Night black tie ball that Theodosia stumbles upon the killer and gets pulled into a dramatic life and death chase.

A gripping novel of two young women fighting for survival on the edge of the wilderness, and the love that simultaneously sustains them and threatens their very existence, from the author of the Good Morning America Book Club pick River Sing Me Home. 

Nova Scotia, 1796. Cora, an orphan newly arrived from Jamaica, has never felt cold like this. In the depths of winter, everyone in her community huddles together in their homes to keep warm. So when she sees a shadow slipping through the trees, Cora thinks her eyes are deceiving her...until she creeps out into the moonlight and finds the tracks in the snow.

Agnes is in hiding. On the run from her former life, she has learned what it takes to survive alone in the wilderness. But she can afford no mistakes. When she first spies the young woman in the woods, she is afraid. Yet Cora is fearless, and their paths are destined to cross.

Deep among the cedars, Cora and Agnes find a fragile place of safety. But when Agnes’s past closes in, they are confronted with the dangerous price of freedom—and of love....

With evocative prose and immersive storytelling, Fireflies in Winter is a powerful novel about love—love for the wilderness in all its unforgiving beauty, and love between two women who risk everything to be together.

One of the great overlooked voices of modern Irish literature, once hailed as “magnificent” by The New York Times, Mary Lavin’s fiction is now being revived for a new generation of readers in this definitive volume, selected and introduced by Colm Tóibín.

During her lifetime, Irish American writer Mary Lavin was a prominent literary figure. Throughout the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, her stories were frequently featured in The New Yorker, compared to the works of Chekhov, James, and Wharton, and celebrated in major publications, ranging from The New York Times to The Irish Times. Lavin won prestigious awards, such as the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Katherine Mansfield Prize, and her influence extends to many of today’s great fiction writers. Yet, despite her incredible success, Lavin’s once acclaimed body of work has largely fallen out of print, lost and erased from the canon. 

Now, An Arrow in Flight brings together sixteen of Lavin’s most powerful stories, selected and introduced by Colm Tóibín. In witty and sharp prose, these tales explore familial tensions, relationships between men and women, and the social mores and biases of 20th-century Irish society, from the streets of Dublin to the fields of County Meath. Essential for any fan of contemporary Irish literature, An Arrow in Flight shines a much-needed light on “a master of the genre” (Los Angeles Times) who has, for too long, remained in the shadows.

In this lyrical picture book illustrated by a two-time Caldecott Medalist, share in a blind child's joyful experience of the changing seasons.

A SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD HONOR

Where I live, seasons change. I know because my fingers and toes, my ears, my mouth and nose, all tell me so.

Neveah is blind, but that doesn't mean she can't enjoy each of the four wondrous seasons of the year.

She knows it's winter when her boots go scruuunch in the snow and cold flakes land softly on her tongue.

She knows spring has come by the smell of hyacinths, the bzzzz of a bee in her ear.

Summer is a trip to the beach, where she can hear the crash of ocean waves and the keowww of seagulls overhead. 

And when Neveah's rake goes scritch scratch over fallen leaves and the air turns brisk, she knows it's autumn. Soon the cycle of seasons will begin anew.

In this poetic story with art by a two-time Caldecott Medalist, join Neveah as she uses her senses of touch, taste, hearing, and smell to vividly describe the changing seasons and the unique delights they each have to offer.

The Terrible Trio is a fun illustrated series, best described as The Bad Guys meets Madagascar!

In a world where all animals have superpowers, Zeb the zebra, Margarine the penguin, and Barry the lemur have the WORST powers of all.

Zeb, Margarine, and Barry end up at the back of the line to have the Superpower Supermarket Manager grant them their superpowers and end up getting the short end of the stick. Margarine is granted the special ability to make macaroni and cheese. Barry the Lemur is gifted with the power to write neatly. And Zeb the Zebra can now blend in with a crosswalk...

Working at a café and watching everybody else save the world day in and day out, Zeb, Margarine, and Barry wonder if they will ever get to be superheroes for a day themselves.

"Royal Spin is a hugely entertaining and engaging read that grabbed me and didn't let go. This workplace drama inside Buckingham Palace, with intrigue, gossip, and a soupçon of romance makes for a fun, page-turner of a book!" --Jasmine Guillory

The much-anticipated novel from preeminent journalist and royal biographer Omid Scobie and National Book Award-winner Robin Benway, two bestselling and beloved authors who are drawing from their real world expertise, an irresistibly entertaining story about a young American woman who takes a job at Buckingham Palace--where she finds herself tangled in a royal mess she might not be able to spin her way out of.

She can handle the press...but can she handle the Palace?
With the British monarchy reeling from a wave of scandals, young American politico Lauren Morgan is plucked from the White House press office to breathe new life into the Buckingham Palace communications team and improve the royal family's streak of bad headlines. But the Palace is an institution steeped in tradition and strict protocol, and Lauren quickly discovers that change is far from easy, or welcome, especially when you're dealing with culture clashes, displeased royal aides, and a risky new love interest--or two.
Just as Lauren finds her footing at work--and with a charming royal reporter who may be more than just a press contact--an unexpected encounter from her past threatens the career she's worked so hard to build. And when scandal looms over the dashing duke who Lauren has developed a special bond with, she finds herself torn between duty, loyalty, success, and happiness.
From London's high society clubs to the sacred corridors and rarely seen spaces of Buckingham Palace, Royal Spin is a fun, humorous, and heartfelt novel that reminds us of the importance of chasing your dreams, and that the most rewarding journeys are often the messiest.
 

Veronica and Stoker are practically dying for a new adventure, but when their wish is granted, they find themselves up against a secret society and a darkly seductive duo in this landmark historical mystery from beloved New York Times bestselling and Edgar® Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

When the corpse of an entitled young man is found entirely drained of blood in a carriage next to Highgate Cemetery, Veronica’s interest is piqued. And then a second victim is found, his death made to look like a suicide—and Veronica and her intrepid beau Stoker know the hunt is on. The two men share one link: they were both members of a society so secretive that only a singular mention of it can be found anywhere.

Thirsty for more clues, Veronica and Stoker hear that a young Romany boy may know more about their first victim, and the only way to the boy is through an old acquaintance of Stoker’s, Lady Julia Brisbane. Lady Julia and her dashing husband, Nicholas, occasionally track down murderers and are only too happy to help. But as it becomes clear that the secret society is a dangerous sect looking to entice immortality seekers, Veronica and Stoker find themselves ensnared by a decidedly more sinister couple.

The professed leader of the society claims to be a creature of the night; his partner practices witchcraft and they both fancy themselves emissaries of the otherworldly. Just as Veronica and Stoker get closer to learning the true purpose of the society and unraveling this macabre mystery, another body turns up, and they quickly discover they’ve gone from being the hunters to the hunted. . . .

For fans of The Bear, Elizabeth Strout, and Jennifer Egan, The Reservation explores the loves and labors of an ensemble of more than a dozen restaurant workers as they strive to get a perfect meal to the table

On the morning of the most important booking in the long history of the celebrated restaurant, Aunt Orsa’s erupts into chaos with the discovery that twenty-two rib eye steaks have been stolen. Hers is the most august of fine-dining establishments in this Midwestern college town, and tonight Orsa is set to host a large party honoring a very special guest—a bestselling author of national renown.

And what’s up with the recent spate of online reviews, from insulting to frankly terrible? Is Orsa, who wants only to be loved, being sabotaged on several fronts? No one is above suspicion, not the Mennonite baker nor the tattooed hard-ass chef de cuisine. Could the culprit be among the servers, or even the inexperienced undergrad working as hostess?

Who aside from Rebecca Kauffman—with her talent for portraying such abundant and sympathetic characters—could write with the wit and energy needed to launch all these various individuals whirling through their days with such complex and interactive choreography?

Like the works of the mystery guest, The Reservation is a dynamic and captivating story that shows us what it takes to get a beautiful meal to the table.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2026 BY NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW YORKER, PEOPLE, TIME, HARPER'S BAZAAR, OPRAH DAILY, AND VULTURE

“Groff is one of this country’s most successful and versatile literary figures.”—New York Times

“Required reading.”—Los Angeles Times

“A knockout.”—Minnesota Star Tribune

A stunning, fierce collection from a master of the short story and one of the most important writers of our time

Read alone, each story in Lauren Groff’s electric collection is an individual triumph, bold, agile, and packed with power. Read together, they hum in exhilarating resonance. Ranging from the 1950s to the present day and moving across age, class, and region -- from New England to Florida to California -- these nine stories reflect and expand upon a shared theme: the ceaseless battle between humans’ dark and light angels.

“In every human there is both an animal and a god wrestling unto death,“ one character tells us. Among those we see caught in this match are a young woman suddenly responsible for her disabled sibling, a hot-tempered high school swimmer in need of an adult, a mother blinded by the loss of her family, and a banking scion endowed with a different kind of inheritance. Motivated by love, impeded by the double edges of other peoples’ good intentions, they try to do the right thing for as long as they can.

Precise, surprising, and provocative, anchored by profound insight into human nature, Brawler reveals the repeated, sometimes heartbreaking turning points between love and fear, compassion and violence, reason and instinct, altruism and what it takes to survive.

"SCREAMING, CRYING, THROWING UP! Cry Havoc is a fever worth catching, a gloomy and gorgeous pleasure." -- Maggie Thrash, author of Rainbow Black

A humorous dark academia novel, set in a failing English girls' school in the 1980s, in which a teen running from her past becomes immersed in a dangerous and intriguing mystery involving a shady new teacher and a strange contagion afflicting her classmates.

Fleeing Scotland after a humiliating family scandal, sixteen-year-old Ida Campbell secures a scholarship at a failing girls' boarding school situated on the remote south English coast. Her new Headmistress--an eccentric woman obsessed with the Cold War and nuclear annihilation--seems surprised that the young woman accepted her offer, but Ida feels that St. Anne's could be a refuge--until she discovers that her roommate, the infamous Louise Adler, is a potential arsonist and hardened outcast.

Ida barely has time to make a good impression (or figure out what Louise's deal is) when Matthew Langfield, a new teacher, arrives. While the girls are all desperately intrigued to find out everything about him - after all, who takes a job at St. Anne's? - the school's geography teacher, Eleanor Alston, has an uneasy feeling that he is not who he says he is. And things only get worse when a mysterious sickness starts to spread throughout the school, causing strange limb jerks and seizures among the pupils.

What is happening to the girls of St Anne's? Are some of the girls faking these fits? Could someone be poisoning them? Is Matthew Langfield a smooth-tongued liar? Will Louise set the school on fire, or push a girl out of a window. . . again? And is Ida's past going to catch up with her, despite doing everything to keep it secret?

Expertly melding the cloying atmosphere and eerie mystery of The Secret History, Ninth House, and The Fever with the sharp wit and delightful absurdity of Derry Girls, Cry Havoc is a dazzling literary introduction to a whip smart, clever, and elegant writer.

A Fast Company Press book

How a culture of "WOW" transformed the travel industry

"WOW!" was the word on everyone's lips as the first guests stepped aboard Icon of the Seas, the largest, most spectacular cruise ship ever created.

Icon was one of many WOWs generated by a standout culture during the tenure of Richard Fain, regularly named one of Barron's "World's Best CEOs." Under Fain's leadership, Royal Caribbean Group built the world's most innovative ships--large and small--and one of the strongest service cultures in the travel industry.

In Delivering the WOW, Fain shows how a culture united people around a mission, delighted guests, and unlocked extraordinary performance. Drawing on vivid stories from 33 years at the helm, Fain explains how a remarkable culture was forged and strengthened through:

*Alignment: ensuring every employee understands the same clear mission, beyond hierarchy or titles

*Intentionality: never losing sight of the ultimate goal and ensuring that every action, big or small, supports that objective

*Continuous improvement: never being satisfied; always believing that there are ways to improve

*Crisis response: deeply rooted culture as a stabilizing force during black swan events, including the global pandemic

Invaluable principles like these are woven into unforgettable stories which help explain how the company's profitability, guest capacity, and employee base all grew more than thirtyfold. Fain also candidly recounts mistakes he made along the way. He takes readers inside tough decisions during high-stakes crises--including the COVID shutdown--that helped rally 100,000 employees to beat the odds and unify the company like never before.

Beyond its valuable lessons, the book offers cruise enthusiasts a behind-the-scenes look at the dedicated teamwork that shapes every unforgettable voyage. Delivering the WOW tells the dramatic story of a tenacious culture that surmounted challenges, thrilled customers, and introduced game-changing innovations.

A New Yorker Best Book of 2026

"Comprehensive and sobering. Tulsky details McIntyre’s naïve certainty that the truth would come out during his trial, his alternation between hope and despair as his case went through the legal system, and the many obstacles before his eventual exoneration, in 2017. A worthy entry in the canon of American injustice."—The New Yorker

“Yet another maddening, frustrating, overwhelming, outrageous, and unbelievable story of corrupt justice in America. This one, though, is handled by Rick Tulsky, a dogged investigator, journalist, lawyer, advocate, and gifted writer.”—John Grisham, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Firm and Framed

The powerful story of a falsely imprisoned man and a sweeping indictment of a city and the criminal justice system by a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist.

"A tour de force of reporting and revelation: it is the best expose of corruption I have ever read. Anybody who cares about what is happening in America should read it."—Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights and The Mosquito Bowl

When the bodies of two Black men were found sitting with a crackpipe in a parked car in a rundown section of town in 1994, it seemed just another day in Kansas City, Kansas. The swift arrest and conviction of a seventeen-year-old Black kid from a broken home raised no eyebrows either.

And yet, thirty years later, Lamonte McIntyre would prove to be the David that took down the Goliath of corruption that had long controlled the city’s power structure and enveloped the city’s justice system

But the effort to prove Lamonte’s innocence opened a Pandora’s box. Before it was over, the fight to win Lamonte’s exoneration exposed corrupt police and prosecutors, incompetent court-appointed defense lawyers, and a judge who violated ethical standards by his secret past relationship with the prosecutor, whom he favored in his rulings.

Injustice Town follows Lamonte’s case from its harrowing beginning to its triumphant end and beyond, including the legal tsunami that came in its wake, that engulfed prosecutors, attorneys, and judges. Most shockingly, the lead cop on the case was indicted by the Department of Justice for the widespread abuses he had committed years earlier on women in the Black community of Kansas City Kansas. Abuses documented by Lamonte’s team. The criminal case ended, literally, with a bang, denying Lamonte and those whom the detective hurt, the chance for them to seek their own justice.

Rick Tulsky, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, goes beyond the courthouse, exposing the ways in which corruption flourished for decades in an erstwhile quiet Midwest town, a town once dedicated to justice and equality.

A lawyer by training as well as a reporter, Tulsky's narrative not only brings Lamonte's story to vivid life, it will empower cities, counties, states, and everyday citizens with a blueprint for equal justice. At a time when the federal government is abdicating its responsibility for demanding fairness and justice, it is up to states, local governments, and we the people look to ways they can act. Vivid and unforgettable, Injustice Town tells the story of one man and shows us a vision of what a better future could be.

“Among the most vicious and systemic civil rights train wrecks in an American city.”—Barry Scheck, cofounder of the Innocence Project

In early printings of the book, the image of Tom Dailey is misidentified. The correction has been made to the ebook and later printings.

"This packed account makes food science feel like an urgent and essential undertaking." —Publishers Weekly (Top 10 New Release in Science)

“A strong case for how science can come to our rescue in the kitchen—if we let it.” —Kirkus Reviews

Good Food Institute founder and president Bruce Friedrich offers a hopeful and rigorously researched exploration of how science, policy, and industry can work together to satisfy the world’s soaring demand for meat, while building a healthier and more sustainable world. 

The human love of meat appears to be hard-wired. The world consumes more than 550 million metric tons of meat and seafood each year. That number has been climbing for decades and is expected to continue to rise through at least 2050.

What if we could give humanity the meat it craves, but produced differently? Plant-based and cultivated meat that are just as delicious as the meat you love, but more affordable and healthier.

Think it’s not possible? With examples ranging from the “horseless carriage” (car) to the smart phone in your pocket, Meat reminds readers that scientific innovations often move from disbelief or opposition to inevitability and ubiquity, much faster than almost anyone expects. 

Envisioning a future where meat is both a delight and a force for good, Friedrich explores:
 

• Humanity’s 12,000-year-old practice of raising animals for meat, and why we need to figure out a better way.
• The science and scientists behind the efforts to create plant-based and cultivated meat that is indistinguishable from conventional animal meat, but less expensive, more nutritious, and safer.
• How plant-based and cultivated meat can preserve forests and biodiversity, mitigate climate change and ocean pollution, and lower antimicrobial resistance and pandemic risk.
• The economic and food security benefits of making meat more efficiently, which include trillions of dollars in economic output annually, tens of millions of good jobs, and the possibility of a revitalized farm economy.

Meat offers a vision of the next agricultural revolution that is optimistic, achievable, and delicious.

A March Indie Next Pick * A Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated Nonfiction Book of 2026 * A Barnes & Noble Reads Best Book of February 2026

From the author of the national bestseller The Dark Queens, an incandescent work of true crime and feminist history about Elizabeth Bathory, the woman alleged to be the world's most prolific female serial killer.

There have long been whispers, coming from the castle; from the village square; from the dark woods. The great lady-a countess, from one of Europe's oldest families-is a vicious killer. Some even say she bathes in the blood of her victims. When the king's men force their way into her manor house, she has blood on her hands, caught in the act of murdering yet another of her maids. She is walled up in a tower and never seen again, except in the uppermost barred window, where she broods over the countryside, cursing all those who dared speak up against her.

Told and retold in many languages, the legend of the Blood Countess has consumed cultural imaginations around the world. But despite claims that Elizabeth Bathory tortured and killed as many as 650 girls, some have wondered if the Countess was herself a victim- of one of the most successful disinformation campaigns known to history. So, was Elizabeth Bathory a monster, a victim, or a bit of both? With the breathlessness of a whodunit, drawing upon new archival evidence and questioning old assumptions, Shelley Puhak traces the Countess's downfall, bringing to life an assertive woman leader in a world sliding into anti-scientific, reactionary darkness-a world where nothing is ever as it seems. In this exhilarating narrative, Puhak renders a vivid portrait of history's most dangerous woman and her tumultuous time, revealing just how far we will go to destroy a woman in power.

From a wayward California girl growing up in the heart of the porn-born San Fernando Valley, Gina Gershon found herself on a journey that has been anything but traditional. Along the way, she had to learn how to spot the toxic types--in both her personal life and her career--and figure out how to dodge, outsmart, or hustle her way through. From the Valley to the slums of Beverly Hills to New York City, she was confronted with shady characters and sketchy situations, all the while fighting to protect her autonomy as a woman and as an actress with a decidedly unconventional path.

AlphaPussy is a collection of true stories that explore themes of experience, survival, and the art of figuring it out as you go. They include strange encounters with celebrities and film directors such as Paul Verhoeven, Tom Cruise, Sharon Stone, Prince, Jennifer Tilly, Sylvester Stallone, David Mamet, Bob Fosse, and so many others. Often hilarious, usually cautionary, and almost always wrapped in absurdity, Gershon's tales explore how she found herself through bad decisions, awkward moments, and cringe-worthy encounters that somehow gave rise to survival skills.

Gershon stresses that while it can be important to listen to others, it's more important to listen to oneself. To trust your gut. In a world full of bullies, predators, and people trying to tell her who she was, or who she should be, it was crucial for Gershon to become an AlphaPussy: a woman who navigates through this perilous jungle of a world with personal agency and responsibility.

Unearth the extraordinary contributions Mary Morland made to 19th-century paleontology by pursuing her passion in spite of society’s expectations in this “delightful” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) picture book biography with a question-and-answer structure perfect for reading aloud.

While other little girls were sipping tea perched on their chairs, Mary Morland was given the freedom to spend her time outside exploring. After her mother died, her father sent her to live with a professor who taught Mary how to examine plants, animals, rocks, and fossils. She soaked up all the knowledge she could and captured her discoveries in her journals. Mary continued studying and drawing fossils into adulthood, becoming a prominent fossil hunter whose finds impressed leading scientists of the day.

Eventually, Mary bonded with William Buckland, England’s best fossilist, over their love of paleontology, and the two got married. Together, they introduced the world to Megalosaurus, the first dinosaur that lived on land. At the time, William received credit for their accomplishments while Mary worked from the shadows. This book shines a spotlight on Mary, celebrating her irrepressible spirit, her unconventional life, and her endless enthusiastic pursuit of prehistoric knowledge.

A brilliant, colourful and funny counting book with one very opinionated ant at the centre...

Just how many animals can fit in this book? Ant will tell you loud and clear: the answer is ONE. But will Ant mind if other animals join the pages, too? 'How Many Animals Can Fit in this Book?' cleverly shows that there is enough room for everyone--while acknowledging that, sometimes, we may need our own space.

For fans of Odder and Skunk and Badger comes a heartwarming story of an unlikely friendship between a gull and a badger.



Septimus is not good at being a badger. He adores the sunset. He dreams of going to Venice. And he lives alone in a charming cottage by the sea. He's not unhappy with his tidy, solitary life, but there are times when being so bad at badgerdom makes him wonder if he's even a badger at all.



When a gull of very few words lands on the windowsill, Septimus leaps at the possibility of friendship. However, his new confidant soon goes missing and Septimus is bereft. Determined to find his best--and only--friend, he ventures into new territory and encounters a cast of surprising characters. Can Septimus be as brave and bighearted as he'll need to be to find Gully? Or is he really a bad badger after all?



Bad Badger is a young middle-grade novel about badgers, gulls, and learning that staying true to yourself means knowing who you are to begin with.

Emily Dickinson is one of America’s greatest and most original poets of all time. When you hear her name, you may imagine the famous recluse whose withdrawal from society became legendary. But it’s time to meet a new side of Emily, one that is powerful, adventurous, and joyful. 

Follow along as we delve into Emily Dickinson’s childhood, revealing a young girl desperate to go out exploring—to meet the flowers in their own homes. Wade through tall grasses to gather butterfly weed and goldenrod, the air alive with the “buccaneers of buzz.” And, don’t forget to keep a hot potato in your pocket to keep your fingers warm.

This is Emily Dickinson as you’ve never seen her before, embarking on an unforgettable journey in her hometown of Amherst, Massachusetts, with her trusty four-legged companion, Carlo.

For fans of the witty and evocative writing of Anne Helen Petersen and Amanda Montell, a sharply clever exploration of what it means to be a “bad mom” by delving into the world of momfluencers, stage moms, trad wives, and more. 

We all have an idea what it means to be a good mom: little screen time, kids hitting their milestones, endless patience and understanding, and self-sacrifice on behalf of one’s children. But what does it mean to be a “bad mom” in modern society? Women as wide-ranging as Meghan Markle, Hannah Neelman (of Ballerina Farm), and anyone giving birth over forty, have been labeled “bad moms.” In a world where the rules are constantly changing, it feels like women simply cannot win.

With this in mind, in her first book, Ej Dickson takes a sharp, provocative look at one of society’s most polarizing labels: the “bad mom.” What makes a mother “bad,” and why? Through the lens of pop culture and American history, Ej Dickson explores how this trope has evolved—from Victorian “angels in the house” to the infamous Mommie Dearest, from Instagram influencers like EmRata and Mormon momfluencers to fictional icons like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Each chapter dives into a different archetype of so-called bad motherhood—like the Stage Mom, the Tiger Mom, the MILF, the MLM hun—challenging us to rethink our assumptions about femininity, parenting, and societal expectations. Drawing on insightful analysis and interviews, Dickson unpacks why our culture is obsessed with vilifying moms and how issues of race and class shape these narratives. Are bad moms truly “bad,” or do they simply defy norms we don’t fully understand—or fear?

This isn’t just cultural commentary—it’s a clarion call. Because if we really take a close look, we might find that some of the women we’ve reviled throughout history are due for a reassessment — and in doing so, moms today may take some much-needed pressure off themselves. One Bad Mother invites moms everywhere to stop chasing impossible standards, reclaim their autonomy, and maybe—just maybe—enjoy motherhood for what it is, not what it’s “supposed” to be.

Thoughtful, eye-opening, and downright funny at times, One Bad Mother is a vital exploration of modern motherhood.