The Hellas Station is a trailblazing Mars colony staffed by only a handful of international, highly competent astronauts. One of these exceptional colonists is extra-special: Adam Flynn is the first human born on Mars (sadly, his mother died from cancer in the radiation-rich environment). Seventeen-year-old Adam has matured to be a survival-hardened and resourceful youth …

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Every town should have a place like the Geode Cafe and Bookshop, where the citizens of Umbra River, California, can gather to chat, read, and sip espresso drinks. Geode—its name a nod to the town’s Goldrush past—is owned by retired schoolteacher and empty-nester Olivia, a cheerful woman plagued by occasional migraines. She loves that her …

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A young child spends the day on the beach and receives advice on how to build the perfect sandcastle. The child is first encouraged to ask a friend to help. The pair then builds a solid base by forming a crater in a sand hill and packing it down. The book offers different options for …

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Now living in Germany, Hanefeld, who was born in 1958, grew up in England with her English mother and Czech father. The six relatives she knew on her father’s side were her grandparents, an aunt, and a great-uncle and great-aunt, who’d all resettled in England. The family never spoke of their background, and it was …

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A married man (generously called Adonis) engages in various sexual escapades with a parade of different women. Readers begin the story knowing that Adonis has died, and the author uses a variety of different formats to tell the story of his downfall. These include poetry, short prose, quotes (some of which are in French), and …

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Leo promises Ben a wild summer full of hunky “unsupervised perverted beach maniacs,” but when they arrive in Port Dorian, the beach is closed. Instead of lifeguarding and partying, they’re stuck cleaning up the rotting sea life littering the shore. One glimpse of a cute boy gives them hope that maybe the hotties are just …

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Jacob is a Brooklyn native, staying on in Atlanta after graduating from Morehouse to take a job with a real estate developer who has won the contract to “revitaliz[e]” (aka destroy and gentrify) the Black neighborhoods near the Olympic Village. He knows he’s gay, but has had very little experience and has not come out …

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Just as in Are You Stronger Than an Ant? (2024), Morgan peppers readers with intriguing questions: “Could you…climb up and down cliffs without any gear at all?” “Could you…ward off bad guys without a shield?” “Could you…light up the dark by giving off an inner glow?” Kids will likely respond with a resounding no, but …

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Celeste’s mother, Queen Halia, has always considered her to be too emotional—like the irrational humans. In order to prove herself, Celeste has spent several cycles, the sirens’ unit of time, training to become a member of the Chorus, a militarized unit that patrols the seas. Before her final test, Celeste comes across an attractive human …

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When the author began the Friendship Bench project with 14 grandmothers in the early 2000s, there were only six practicing psychiatrists in Zimbabwe. (Today, the number remains less than 20.) Designed to address the limited access many Zimbabweans have to mental health professionals, the Friendship Bench project deploys a team of “lay psychotherapists” to provide …

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