Booklist Readerの October 2023 の目次

Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction. By Michelle Nijhaus. 2021. Norton. Nijhaus presents an enlightening and gripping history of conservation, profiling heroic animal champions and parsing the thorny social and ethical issues entwined with efforts to protect endangered species. Birds of a Feather: A True Story of Hope and the Healing Power of Animals. By Lorin Lindner. 2018. St. Martin’s. Psychologist Lindner established Serenity Park on the grounds of a VA hospital in Los Angeles, where veterans struggling with PTSD coax wounded and abused birds back to health and improve their own. Do unto Animals: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better. By Tracey Stewart. Illus. by Lisel Ashlock. 2015. Artisan. An animal lover and former veterinary technician, Stewart…

All Hallows. By Christopher Golden. Read by Ronnie Butler and January LaVoy. 2023. 11hr. Orange Sky Audio. There’s nothing scarier than terror in your own backyard, and horror fans will love this slow-burn narrated with precision and an edge. The Babysitter Lives. By Stephen Graham Jones. Read by Isabella Star LaBlanc. 2022. 7.5hr. Simon & Schuster Audio. Charlotte won’t get much studying done at her babysitting job after the twins disappear and the house’s dark history confronts her in this audio-exclusive narrated by LaBlanc with steely resolve. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. By Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Read by Gisela Chípe. 2022. 11.5hr. Books on Tape. In her narration of this historical fantasy-horror tale set on an island full of hybrid, half-human creatures, Chípe is a versatile marvel, switching between French, Mexican,…

Bone Weaver. By Aden Polydoros. 2022. Harlequin/Inkyard. Gr. 9–12. Toma lives in the wilderness with her adoptive family, who are upyri, or living dead. When Toma and her sister, Galina, cross paths with the deposed tsar and Galina is kidnapped by revolutionaries, Toma sets off to rescue her sister and face down the rebellion. Ellie Engle Saves Herself. By Leah Johnson. Illus. by Mirelle Ortega. 2023. Disney/Hyperion. Gr. 4–8. When an earthquake gives Ellie the power to bring back dead things, her simple life is over. This middle-grade debut excellently harnesses Ellie’s anxiety while her magic serves as a metaphor that uncovers and awakens her identity as a young queer Black girl. The Hidden World of Gnomes. By Lauren Soloy. Illus. by the author. 2023. Tundra. K–Gr. 2. Using the…

Something wicked this way comes. Or is it that way? Or that?! Adam Cesare’s Clown in a Cornfield (2020) embodies many classic horror tropes and scenarios, but the genre can go in many other directions. Use this map to pick a path and find your next nightmare-inducing read.…

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. By Shannon Chakraborty. 2023. Harper Voyager. This series starter follows the high-seas adventures of an unusually tall, middle-aged, Muslim pirate captain with a bad knee and a gold tooth who gets the crew back together for a rescue operation. Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction. Ed. by Sheree Renée Thomas and others. 2022. Tor.com. Thirty-two original speculative stories from Africa and the African diaspora span genres and forms, from complicated webs of narrative to tales of generational magic, androids, time travel, and terrifying librarians. Fourth Wing. By Rebecca Yarros. 2023. Entangled/Red Tower. In this romantic, adventure-filled fantasy, a young scribe joins the Riders Quadrant, bonding with her dragon and running from a fellow cadet hell-bent on revenge. Hopeland. By Ian McDonald. 2023. Tor.…

The Beast’s Heart. By Leife Shallcross. 2019. Ace. This “Beauty and the Beast” retelling is relayed from the point of view of the beast, who tricks an old man into taking one of his roses. Readers may think they know the rest of the story, but this emotion-rich, romantic tale has a few surprises in it. The Crane Husband. By Kelly Barnhill. 2023. Tor.com. This dark novella is woven from threads of classic fairy tales about crane wives and men who turn into beasts, following a determined young woman who needs to protect her little brother when their mother, an eclectic artist, brings home a man-sized crane. Daughter of the Moon Goddess. By Sue Lynn Tan. 2022. Harper Voyager. Inspired by the Chinese legend of Chang’e, the moon goddess, Tan’s…

Fiction America Fantastica. By Tim O’Brien. Mariner. In his first novel in 20 years, the author of the awardwinning classic The Things They Carried sets an unlikely bank robber and his hostage on a cross-country odyssey. The Exchange. By John Grisham. Doubleday. This sequel to Grisham’s blockbuster debut, The Firm, takes place 15 years later, with Mitch McDeere discovering a conspiracy with both worldwide and personal implications. Let Us Descend. By Jesmyn Ward. Scribner. An enslaved girl narrates Ward’s first novel since the National Book Award–winning Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017), finding protection and magic in her ancestors as she travels a hellish journey. The List. By Yomi Adegoke. Morrow. A celebrated feminist journalist is #couplegoals with her fiancé until his name turns up on a list of anonymously posted names…

Fiction Antes que llegue la luz. By Mayra Santos-Febres. Read by Elena Lara. 2021. 5hr. Planeta Audio. Lara’s neutral Latin American approach balances perspectives and urgency in this polyphonic novel of community and resilience during Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico that blends fiction, memoir, and chronicle. Indómita / A Woman of Endurance. By Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa. Read by Yetta Gottesman. Translated by Aurora Lauzardo Ugarte. 2022. 13hr. HarperAudio. Gottesman’s discerning performance sets a subtle, nuanced tone for Quiara/Pola’s story of enslavement, resistance, and perseverance in this unflinching historical novel set in nineteenth-century Puerto Rico. Las malas / Bad Girls. By Camila Sosa Villada. Read by the author. 2022. 6hr. Planeta Audio. Crafting elements of fantasy, horror, and memory, Argentine Sosa Villada—unapologetic, vulnerable, profound—mesmerizes as author and narrator in her award-winning novel…

AstroNuts Mission One: The Plant Planet. By Jon Scieszka and Steven Weinberg. Read by a full cast. 2022. 2hr. GraphicAudio. Gr. 3–6. Genetically modified animals seek a new planet after humans have thrown Earth’s ecosystem out of whack. The voice actors have terrific fun playing the amusing characters like the giddy, food-loving LaserShark and an AlphaWolf with blustery delusions of grandeur. Because this was originally a graphic novel, narration has been added to describe certain scenes. Sound effects and clever music that make this whole package hilarious and thought-provoking. Braver: A Wombat’s Tale. By Suzanne Selfors and Walker Ranson. Read by Kirsty Gillmore. 2020. 10hr. Dreamscape. Gr. 3–6. Lola is a talkative young wombat whose secret wish for adventure is granted when her entire community is abducted from their burrows!…

Who is Desideria Mesa? I guess I call myself a poet—and a pirate. Not the thieving kind, but just the idea of taking to the sea and going after what thrills you without bonds or anyone telling you who you are. Your dreams know who you are. Did I mention that I’m a poet? What can you tell us about Bindle Punk Bruja? Writing this story felt like walking through a time machine and coming faceto-face with my grandparents. Through Luna’s eyes, I saw the world they and other Mexican immigrants encountered, and often had to war against, just to make it from one goal to the next. But they made it, and I am grateful. While persecution and prejudice are a theme in the book, so are heroism and…

100 Places to See after You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife. By Ken Jennings. Read by the author. 2023. 7hr. Simon & Schuster Audio. Well-known as Jeopardy’s host, Jennings is also a host of the podcast Omnibus, where he shares interesting and novel facts. This title takes listeners on a tour of various cultural and religious perspectives of the great beyond. Conversations on Letting Go: Guidance, Meditations, and Exercises to Help You Live Authentically. By Najwa Zebian. Read by full cast. 2023. 5hr. Books on Tape. Dr. Zebian, a best-selling author, speaker, and poet, can be heard on her podcast, Stories of the Soul. For the narration of this audio original, she invites a full cast into the conversation, answering questions with her warm and soothing tones. Dinner…

Self-Discovery & Growth Call Me Tree / Llámame árbol. By Maya Christina Gonzalez. Illus. by the author. Tr. by Dana Goldberg. 2014. Lee & Low. K–Gr. 3. The author-illustrator of I Know the River Loves Me / Yo sé que el río me ama (2009) here offers vibrantly hued illustrations depicting diverse children mimicking trees by forming their bodies into various yoga positions. The gentle, dual-language poetry asserts the connection with nature. The Day You Begin. By Jacqueline Woodson. Illus. by Rafael López. 2018. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. PreS–Gr. 1. El día en que descubres quién eres. Jacqueline Woodson. Illus. by Rafael López. 2018. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. PreS–Gr. 1. Woodson catches the uncertainty, even fear, that comes with new situations, but her lyrical language also captures the moments when confidence sparks and friendships…

Pencils, Pens & Brushes: A Great Girls’ Guide to Disney Animation. By Mindy Johnson. Illus. by Lorelay Bové. Disney. Gr. 3–6. When Disney was planning a new animated series featuring a mouse called “Mortimer,” his wife Lillian didn’t like the name. Instead, she made history by suggesting the name Mickey! I Am Walt Disney. By Brad Meltzer. Illus. by Christopher Eliopoulos. Dial. K–Gr. 3. Disney helped found the California Institute of Arts, a college dedicated to building a community of artists. Known today as Cal Arts, it trains students in art, design, film, music, theater, and dance. Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist. By Julie Leung. Illus. by Chris Sasaki. Random/Schwartz & Wade. Gr. 1–3. After immigrating to the U.S. from China as a boy in 1919,…