One Wish: A Tale of Reckoning After 9-11

Laura Krieger Emack  

Prospect Press 

A sudden summons to hometown Cleveland interrupts Sandra's Manhattan routine. Sandra reluctantly agrees to spend ten days caring for her declining sister-in-law while her brother Greg conducts a secretive reporting assignment of national consequence. She discovers that her brother has been refreshing his knowledge of Arabic on his home computer. With the third anniversary of 9-11 looming, Sandra accurately surmises that Greg's investigation involves the events of 9-11. But when Greg safely returns and shares confidential details, Sandra's inner world shatters. For nobody knows that Sandra harbors an enchanted memory of a certain Egyptian foreign student, whose reappearance couldn't possibly mean what Greg's notes prove.

Hallowed Deadly Seeds

Amber Hathaway 

Deadly Seeds Press 

After narrowly escaping a sacrificial ritual with her life, Alice Drayton finds herself trapped in the isolated rural village of Evanston, Maine. With guards monitoring the ancestral farmhouse she and her brother are being held captive in around the clock, escape seems impossible. She may be left with no choice but to abandon everything she stands for and assimilate into Evanston’s twisted religious community. If she survives. When a series of seemingly inexplicable tragedies plague the town, rumors of witchcraft proliferate. Alice’s outsider status places her at the top of the suspect list. Will she and her allies escape Evanston and bring an end to its insidious rituals, or will they meet their fate at the gallows?

We Sent Them Down Singing 

Libby Edwardson 

Page Street Publishing  

In the small coal camp of Jubilee, West Virginia, Skinny Caldwell has been plagued by nightmares of the last time she saw her mama alive and the man responsible for stealing her away: Zell Dorsey. When Zell Dorsey returns thirteen years later, alone, Skinny is determined to find out what really happened. As she uncovers disturbing truths about her mama’s fate and Zell’s sinister plan, she turns to Happy Walker, her school bus driver and the closest thing she has to a father. But nothing can prepare them for what they find: Behind Zell Dorsey’s charming veneer, is a creature older and more dangerous than any devil, and he’s hellbent on turning everyone Skinny loves into oil-slicked monsters. This book is a testament to the resilience of grieving mothers and the tenacity of the beautiful people of Appalachia--where the accents sing rather than talk and the tea is always sweet.

Survivors (Healing Through Restoration) 

Harold van Doren

Penobscot Books 

Harold van Doren has an aggressive form of prostate cancer. He also loves the process of bringing old vehicles back to life, so he buys a 1946 GMC pickup truck and begins the restoration, believing that being happy by doing this might be a key to his survival. His story focuses on concurrent efforts to heal himself as he is “healing” the pickup. You will learn about the treacherous prostate, the inevitable aging process and how hard it was for Harold to restore the old wreck. He writes, “We enjoy old cars and trucks because they link us strongly to our youth and the past. On the other hand, cancer ties us relentlessly to a worrisome present and uncertain future. From my strategies, I hope you may learn about fighting this disease so that you will also become a survivor.”

Trees of Acadia: The Past, Present, and Future of Park Forests 

Catherine Schmitt 

Down East Books

Acadia would not be Acadia if not for the trees. The most common ecosystem across the park, forests support a diversity of wildlife, protect lakes and streams, clean the air, and pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. All forests, of course, have these functions. But it turns out Acadia’s woods, protected for well over a century, are special for many reasons. With park scientists as guides, and with history and hundreds of original, full-color photos as inspiration, travel the trails of Acadia to learn about trees through all four seasons, past, present, and future. Readers of Trees of Acadia will gain a new understanding of and appreciation for the trees and forests of Acadia National Park, and in turn for forests everywhere.

The Unfolding

Written by Nancy Sobanik
(Illustrated by Justin Cory)

Finishing Line Press

Nancy Sobanik’s chapbook poetry collection The Unfolding explores the intersection of the profane and sacred in life's moments. Great losses are followed by the revelation of grace and unexpected gifts. These poems are an outpouring of a soul’s response to a family’s hidden traumas, but the landscape of family history is not complete without the celebration of events that bring great joy. The Unfolding delivers poems in which strength and hope are derived from nature’s healing power, the inexorable passage of time, and the resilience of the human spirit. These are poems that boldly confront common life challenges, full of pathos and transcendence

A Brutal Mischief

Jefferson Navicky 

Bottlecap Press

What is it about rats that so disturbs us? Down which tunnel and into what hovel in our brains do they burrow? Rats are very good at hiding and one in twenty rats can detect landmines, know enough not to set them off. At the start of March 2020, when the pandemic roared and I got indefinitely furloughed, we discovered a rat infestation around our chicken coop. It’s been six years since the pandemic when I wrote this chapbook. I wrote it and put it away. It’s like a time capsule from a quiet time of terror, which, despite the surrounding drama, ended up as largely a very fond memory, because I spent so much time at home in our cottage in the woods, tending the animals, working and working against the rats, building our defenses, and hanging out with my love.

Just For Today

Written by Charlotte Agell (Illustrated by Ana Ramírez González )

Scholastic

Elba worries a lot. Sometimes her worries keep her up at night. Norris knows that worry can come from telling yourself the wrong story. Together, he and Elba tell a new story, one without any worry. But what will happen when their story launches them on an unforeseen adventure? This gentle exploration of a universal feeling reveals that, while stories can take unexpected turns, we have the power to create our own happy endings, and good friends can help us stay grounded in whatever comes today.

Buzz! Being Brave Around Buzzy, Stinging Insects

Written by Toni Buzzeo (Illustrated by Joe Cepeda )

Holiday House 

Buzz! Being Brave Around Buzzy, Stinging Insects is an empowering children's picture book that transforms a child's fear of pollinators into curiosity. Focusing primarily on honey bees and their role in pollinating flowers, fruits, and vegetables, it also features the super hero predators of pesky insects, Eastern yellowjackets and bald-faced wasps, that keep plants healthy and producing. Written by acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Toni Buzzeo and award-winning illustrator Joe Cepeda, the book, which School Library Journal calls “a refreshing take on a fascinating topic,” provides accessible facts and actionable safety rules to help kids confidently explore the outdoors with curious science eyes.