Maggie lives in a society where the eldest children are given preferential treatment over any others. When her older brother is told it’s time to fight in “The War,” he’s sent to a training camp to prepare. Meanwhile, Maggie does something unthinkable: she speaks to an outsider, someone who lives beyond the fence that surrounds their community. As she begins to unravel the thread that keeps her community together, Maggie and her siblings realise that not everything is as it seems and what the true horror of their lives might actually be.

In a world where the earth has been ravaged by pollution and disease, students must take special exams in order to earn resources for their families. Passing means they can stay on specially selected land, failure means they must live on the Wasteland, where death is almost certain. Rich children have special microchips that give them an advantage on their exams, whereas everyone else must pass using their own brains. This is the first in a trilogy that is a stark warning and a gripping story all wrapped into one.

Ade lives on the 17th floor of a tower block with his mother. When the Bluchers arrive, a plague of horrible and dangerous sentient plant, the city begins to evacuate. His mother, however, refuses to leave and Ade is forced to watch the city he lives in crumble and be taken over by the Bluchers. As the plants creep closer, and as his mother gets more and more ill, Ade must act fast if he and his mother are going to survive. A beautiful story about friendship, loyalty and survival, fans of The Day of the Triffids will love this, as will anyone looking for a gripping story.

Isabella’s father is a famous map-maker, a cartographer who works for a cruel Governor on the island of Joya. Isabella researches the island’s myths and fables and longs to explore beyond the island’s borders. However, the Governor forbids any travel. This all changes when Isabella’s best friend Lupe disappears. Presumably, she ran away, but why? Armed with her father’s maps, Isabella sets out to find her friend, discovering danger and wonder along the way.

This one is aimed at teens, but it’s suitable for the upper end of middle grade. The world has been destroyed by global warming. Not only that, most of the world has lost its ability to dream with disastrous mental health consequences. People believe that North America’s Indigenous population are still able to dream because of magic in their bone marrow. The unthinkable happens: they are hunted for their marrow. Some, however, decide not to run and instead fight back against the scourge of people trying to steal their marrow. It’s a harrowing, disturbing dystopian story that will not leave your brain for a very, very long time.

It’s not easy pulling off a funny dystopian novel, but this one does it well! Eddie is missing the big beach party because he has to do his chores, namely laundry, which of course he hates with a passion. When the power goes out, he tries to investigate the problem only to find that entire neighbourhood appears to be dark. Not only that, there’s no one around. Absolutely no one. Then, the streetlights mysteriously come back on, and Eddie is thrust into an adventure that will test his brains, his luck and his skills!

This extraordinary middle grade dystopian novel takes place in post apocalyptic London. People are desperately searching for a mysterious item simply known as “The Artefact,” a device that will seemingly save humankind. Cass and Wilbur are scavengers, working for the dangerous Vlad army. Their job is to take the city apart and fight back against anyone who will stop them. Things get stranger when visitors from another time and place visit London, and Cass and Wilbur are pulled into a battle that will determine the fate of the world. This is a very bleak but thrilling dystopian story!

Here’s another post-apocalyptic England, except this time it’s called “Ingland.” Nuclear war has destroyed the earth, and acid rain sears everything in its wake. The only relief is something called The Maze, a virtual reality game created by Daed, a hacker savant who has created an immersive world that lets the population escape for a short time. Rick, who also happens to be Daed’s son, checks The Maze for problems, but what Rick discovers is layer upon layer of corruption within the system. A dark, cruel dystopian world has been created here by Collins — fans of The Running Man and The Maze Runner will want to sink their teeth into this!

When it comes to funny books for preschoolers, the Grumpy Monkey series by Suzanne Lang is another favorite for my son and me. We especially like reading this graphic novel addition to the series together. After getting annoyed at oxpecker, Jim Panzee throws a banana peel at her and causes quite the stir amongst his fellow jungle neighbors. When he’s banished to the desert, his loyal friend Norman tags along, and the journey gets hilariously bumpy. Just wait until all of the animals start getting banished for increasingly absurd reasons. It’s been awhile since a book has made me laugh so hard.

Funny books for preschoolers are that much funnier when they make us adults laugh too. Bedtime struggles are relatable for both kids and caregivers, and this story by Bunmi Laditan makes for such a funny and cathartic read. When a girl decides her little bed just won’t cut it, she informs her dad he can swap his spot in the big bed for a camping cot instead.

This funny picture book is part of Anna Kang’s endearing You Are (Not) Small series. In this particular adventure, our fuzzy friends are having fun building a sandcastle on the beach. Maybe if they just add one more finishing touch to the castle though, it’ll be perfect. These become famous last words, of course.

Trying to aim for perfection can lead to some funny disasters, and this sweet book for preschoolers by Kat Zhang captures that too. Amy Wu is a funny and fearless star in this story. She’s got her mind set on making the perfect bao bun, but everything seems to be going wrong! Despite the challenge, Amy perseveres. Plus, readers get rewarded with a delicious bao recipe at the end too!

Bubbly Narwhal and grouchy Jelly make the perfect best friend duo in this silly graphic novel series by Ben Clanton. Jelly’s woes are very relatable, and Narwhal is always the life of the party. Plus, they create some epic comic book adventures together called Super Waffle and Strawberry Sidekick. The audiobook adaptations of this series include a full cast and great sound effects, and my son and I love listening to them in the car. Forewarning, the Narwhal song is very catchy and will get stuck in your head.

Written by Pura Belpré Honor-winning author Anika Aldamuy Denise, this silly story is sure to give your preschooler a case of the giggles. Along with the humor, the story blends Spanish with English and encourages readers to count to 10 in Spanish. As Gato Guapo walks around in his fine and fancy clothes, nine naughty kitties follow him along and swipe something fancy for themselves before declaring “¡Yo soy Gato Guapo!”

The Max and Ruby series by Rosemary Wells is another all time favorite in our house. Each story features Ruby’s bossy plans getting derailed by her little brother Max’s mischief in the most hilarious ways. In this particular tale, Ruby keeps having to send Max back to the store for cake ingredients after he causes chaos in the kitchen. All Max really wants are some Red-Hot Marshmallow Squirters though, and by the end of the story, both bunnies may become successful bakers.

After reading this funny story by Arree Chung, my son is always ready to have his own sneaky ninja adventures. Chung incorporates comic book style panels into the tale of a boy creeping through a house like a ninja on a top-secret mission (which may involve some cookies). By the end, the boy decides his little sister might be ready to learn the ways of the ninja too.

While you may have heard of Adam Rubin’s Dragons Love Tacos, have you read this epic sequel to the bestseller? My son and I love this one even more than the first. The story opens with the devastating news that the world has run out of tacos. Good thing you have a handy time machine to jump in with your dragon buddies to go grab some more tacos from the past. My little guy and I especially love the part when the characters land in an alternate reality where dragons love diapers.

Nora grew up changing identities at the drop of a hat, her mother always wrapped up in some scheme. Now, though, she has left all of that behind. That is, until she, her girlfriend, and her ex are trapped in the middle of a bank robbery. Now Nora’s past just might be the thing to get them out of this situation, but it means coming clean to her closest friends.

Devon and Chimaka are the only Black students at the prestigious Niveus Private Academy, and they both have secrets that got them there. When an anonymous person starts texting them with threats to reveal everything, they must work together to find out who has put a target on their back and how to stop them. And if they were willing to fight to get into Niveus, they’ll fight even harder to stay.

It’s Paris’s 1889 world fair and Severin, a sticky-fingered heir to the House Vanth is forced to find an ancient artifact in order to claim his rightful place on the Order of Babel. With a team just as determined to succeed for their own reasons, they must navigate puzzles, magic, and an Order convinced he won’t make it.

When Louise was a teenager, she fought off kidnappers, saving three other girls in the process. Now, she has moved on, forged a normal life waitressing at a café and hitting the roaring ’20s nightclubs at night. But then a teenager Black girl is found dead in front of her cafe, and she’s talked into going undercover to find out what’s happening and who’s causing it.

Malini is banished to a temple, alone, by her high-on-his-power brother after she refused to be burned alive in a purification ritual. Isolated and furious, her only interactions is with the maidservant who comes to clean her prison. After Priya is attacked and her hidden power is revealed, the two set out to take down the oppressive dictatorship that hurt them both.

As World War II approaches, Phyllis is working for a mobster as an assassin in Harlem, using her unique skills bestowed by her “saints hands.” Dev, Phyllis’s ex-lover, also has the gift: his hands can sense threats. Tamara, using a tarot deck, can predict peoples’ futures. All three characters get a part of the book, struggling with their gifts and what it means to be good or bad or something in between.

Jamie and Zoe meet in a memory support group after they both lose their past. Jamie can read minds, using that power to rob banks and whatever else he pleases. Zoe has been on the other side of things, using her super strength to take down the bad guys. When they both get wind of a threat to their city, they must join together to stop it, recovering some of their past along the way.

On the run from the experiments of The Institute, Jes takes refuge on pleasure moon Persephone-9. There, he joins the circus and finds comfort and friendship. But when Dax, a crime boss, sets his sights on the circus and uses Jes’s fugitive status to blackmail him into doing what he asks, Jes’s refuge is ruined. When Dax tries to pin the circus for some of his crimes, they must rally together to stop him.

Veronica, a photographer, is best friends with performance artist Nico. When Mick, a new girl, joins their world in the San Diego summer, Veronica is obsessed. Obsession and the need to push art to its limit converge into a deadly conclusion.

English professor Scarlett Clark has everyone fooled. After hours, she targets bad men and kills them. That is, until the police come sniffing around campus and she must charm Dr. Mina Pierce to avoid suspicion. At the same time, student Carly is dealing with her own need for revenge after her roommate is assaulted at a party. As their stories collied, one thing is for sure: bad men won’t make it out of this one alive.

Sue grew up an orphan, in a house of thieves. When the charming con man named Gentleman asks her to help him take the fortune of a young woman in a secluded manor, Sue agrees. Undercover as the girl’s maid, she’s supposed to help him seduce the young girl and then get her shut into a mental hospital. But the problem with working with thieves is you can never quite tell where trust lies.

Sister Holiday’s background isn’t exactly what you’d expect of a nun, but that’s all behind her now. Only, when fires start popping up at Saint Sebastian’s School, her not-so-pretty past seems to turn the suspicion her way. Now she must use her skills to prove everyone wrong and find out who’s really starting the fires.

In the midst of a world at war, Rig is on the run from the Pyrite faction after making off with plans for weapons meant for them. On the side of the rebels, she smuggles and steals to her heart’s content. But when Rig’s twin sister is taken by Pyrite, she sets off on a rescue mission in the enemy’s territory.

After being outed by a raid on a gay bar, officer Evander Mills is kicked off the force. Then, the head of a soap empire, Irene, is killed, and her widow comes to Evander to investigate. Inside the soap empire’s grounds is a paradise for Evander, where people can be whoever they want openly. But poking around, Evander must uncover the scheming underneath it all that led to Irene’s death.

Oliver lives with his surgeon partner, Nathan Klien in Washington D.C. One night when Nathan’s out of town, Oliver ventures into a local bathhouse where he follows a stranger into a private room. Escaping with his life and a bruise on his neck, Oliver can’t let anyone know what happened that night, especially Nathan. The lies he tells Nathan spiral out of control, though, and what happened at the bathhouse just won’t seem to stay there.

After aspiring comic Joey’s boyfriend cheats on him, his whole future is uncertain. Their shared college, their future plans: it’s all crumbling down. At the same time, his mom’s relationship falls apart and the mother and son are furious together. In their anger, they go too far and must go on the run.

Clementine used to be a thief, but now she runs a perfume shop in Nazi-Occupied Paris where she mixes scents for her friend and cabaret singer, Day. When Day’s Jewish identity is threatened to be exposed, Clementine must locate the diary of Day’s father inside an occupied house.

Providing for her son after a messy divorce proves difficult for Sonja, and it pushes her into the underworld of drug trafficking into Iceland to try to get enough money to get custody back. But a customs officer is taking notice of her movements, and getting out of the trade isn’t as easy as giving a two-weeks notice.

On the run from the Guildmaster, Ryia works for Cal, head of the Saints, using her reputation as The Butcher to spill blood. When Ryia’s next goal takes her into the Guildmaster’s path, she and a team of desperate criminals work together to try to get freedom for them all or die trying.

Shireen has just learned she’s a contestant on the first ever Junior Irish Baking Show, which is something she should be over the moon about. Not only could she really use the cash prize if she wins, but she’s hoping that her time on TV will help out her family’s struggling donut shop. But the only problem? Her ex-girlfriend Chris is also a contestant. And if that wasn’t complicated enough, she’s now crushing on fellow contestant Niamh. The drama is about to get real.

Sitlali lives in modern day Mexico, and she’s without any family or friends. In order to escape a gang leader, she must make the dangerous trek to the U.S., but she stumbles upon a conch with mysterious markings before setting out. Calizto is an Aztec warrior in 1521 fighting against the Spanish colonizers when he discovers asks a sacred conch for direction, and hears Sitlali through the conch. They can communicate through the conch, but soon they’re falling for each other across centuries.

Natalya has only 24 hours to make a decision that could change the course of her summer: Stay in NYC with her dad or go to L.A. to reconnect with her estranged mom. The book follows both paths as Natalya gets up the courage to talk to the girl she’s been crushing on in NYC, and tentatively gets to know her mom again and meets a boy in L.A.

Fatima loves hanging out with her friends, baking, and spending time with her family. When she meets older guy Raheem, she falls for his charm. Her parents definitely won’t approve of them dating, so she keeps it secret…but when she discovers that her parents want to arrange their marriage, it feels like fate. But once officially engaged, Raheem turns manipulative and cruel, and threatens to ruin her reputation if Fatima breaks it off. Somehow she has to find the strength to do what’s right, even if it means opening herself up to an uncertain future.

Naomi and Kylie grew up together, practically sisters. Naomi’s mom was Kylie’s nanny, and despite the differences between the girls across class and race, they’re best friends. But when Kylie calls the police on a group of Black teens in a parking lot and a video of the incident goes viral, Naomi is left questioning their relationship and wondering if she really knows Kylie at all.

Beck has been struggling since her mom, an investigative reporter, died. When she receives a mysterious letter points her to the town her mom was investigating before her death, Beck and her sister Riley head there to see if they uncover answers. What they find are more questions, especially surrounding a mysterious town leader and his daughter Avery, who are definitely hiding something. Beck is drawn to Avery, but as she digs deeper, she risks losing herself to this dangerous place.

Charity works at Camp Mirror Lake, an immersive horror experience. She plays the camp’s “final girl” and enjoys acting out horror scenarios to scare and thrill their guests. But during the last weekend of the job, Charity’s co-workers begin to disappear and one ends up dead. Now Charity and her girlfriend will have to track down a real killer to avoid a grim fate.

Lahey is extra talented at matchmaking…other people. When it comes to her own dating life, her needs usually take a back seat. But now she’s desperate for a plus one to her cousin’s sweet 16 in order to save face. To find the perfect match she’ll juggle six prospective dates in one week while her older sister’s best friend Adler watches — and attempts to distract her from her ultimate goal.

When Casey’s sister Sutton goes missing, everyone around her is devastated and Casey can’t tell the truth about how they fought before Sutton went missing. In fact, everyone thinks Sutton is so perfect, but Casey knows otherwise. However, she’s not about to reveal that. So when Sutton reappears, Casey knows she should be relieved…except something is off about Sutton. She’s nice. She doesn’t seem to remember her life before. Something is very wrong, and Casey has a feeling it might be connected to the string of other missing girls in their area.

Aurelie is a baker’s apprentice who doesn’t have grand dreams of adventure and romance — she just wants a stable, happy future. But when a stranger hands her a set of Seeking stones, Aurelie discovers a rare skill she didn’t know she had…and that same stranger asks her to help recover the prince, who is lost to the Underwood. This is more of an adventure than Aurelia bargained for, especially when she finds she might lose her heart along the way.

Leach and her childhood best friend Elissa did everything together, including get into some relatively innocent trouble. But after one incident, their private school expelled Elissa, and she was sent away, into a program for “troubled youth.” These programs are largely unregulated and full of secrets. Less than a year after graduation from one of these programs, Elissa died. As Leach struggled to cope with her grief, she found Alyssa and Alisa, Elissa’s closest friends at the program — and both of them also died, years later. Leach dives into these programs and what she dubs the Troubled Teen Industry, and why all three young women met the same fate.

On September 6, 1970, Hodes and her older sister were coming back to the States from visiting their mother and grandparents in Israel when their plane was hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. They were forced to land in the Jordan desert, and she spent six days and nights as a hostage. More than 50 years later, she realized her memories weren’t clear, and she wondered whether it was trauma, repression, or something else. Using archival information, conversations with friends, family, and fellow hostages, diaries, and her childhood memories, she looks at not just her experience but what it was like for her family, and the effects of that experience.

Blending memoir and nature writing, Masud writes about landscapes and how flat places often get overlooked. She lives with complex post-traumatic stress disorder due to an extremely traumatic childhood, and therefore her emotions are sometimes flattened and her memory is affected — similar to a “flat place.” Writing about her personal experiences and how trauma affects her life, as well as her observations about the nature around her, this is a compelling and beautifully insightful look at place, healing, and emotions.

El-Badry Nance, an Egyptian American astrophysicist and women’s health advocate, shares about her lifelong love of science, the racist and misogynist barriers she faced wanting to go into the field, the impacts of intergenerational trauma and anxiety, and much more. She writes about being a woman of color in a field that isn’t always welcoming to women in general, not to mention women of color, and how she found her way, nurturing her career and interests and how, like the stars, life is full of change.

Stanger has long seen the impact of nature on people as an outdoorswoman and surf teacher, and in this book she shares not only plenty of stories of how people changed their lives after being in nature more, but also how to change your life. If this sounds impractical, don’t worry — these are things that even the least outdoorsy person can do to take the first step to make a change. Even if you’re not inclined to get outside, these stories will inspire you to push your own limits, however that might look.

This is a sharp, insightful collection of essays looking at pop culture, covering her ’90s childhood until now, and combining personal essay with cultural criticism. She explores the origin story of her own name, complete with surprises and unexpected findings; looks at how the “Black friend” trope has evolved over time; and provides commentary for various shows and movies. It’s full of cultural touchstones and humor, but also thought-provoking observations that reinforce how important pop culture is in our lives and how our identities can be shaped by it.

Grover would not necessarily consider her childhood as “Appalachian.” Raised in Southeast Ohio, Appalachia brought to mind much more rural areas than her hometown. She went back to the place she was raised to reconcile her identity with the culture in which she grew up and figure out where she belonged in such a label, and found that identifiers like “Appalachian” and “transgender” may be more alike than initially thought. She explores areas of overlap and threads of similarities of experience, and reflects on the experiences of stigmatization with both labels, as well as how these labels are seen, experienced, and understood. It’s an essay collection that feels fresh and thoughtful, drawing you in with its observations.

Nature writer Gessner’s new book is a haunting one, but one you’ll definitely want to add to your list. He was 42 when his daughter was born, and in this book he looks at what the world will likely be like when she is his age right now — in 2064. He looks at the future of weather, and what it will mean for geographic areas, and what things have been like so far for his family. If this sounds catastrophic, rest assured, it’s not. While he doesn’t shy away from truths, he also writes with humor and sensitivity, and plenty of anecdotes and discussions with people. It’s a highly readable, thought-provoking book that’s very relevant for right now.

Gannon, who is part Lakota, writes about his more than 50 years birding, what it has brought to his life, and how it has helped him heal, along with finding literature, especially Indigenous literature. He writes about the racism he experienced in schools, the trauma of his time in an Indian boarding school, and the Indigenous erasure present in science and nature. While the topics he writes about are serious and painful, he also manages to retain humor and wry wit in his writing, often musing on the irony of his interests and how they overlap with the painful aspects of Indigenous history and colonialism. It’s a sharply observant memoir and chronicle of nature, one’s life, and experience.