Books Added to My Shelves in March 2025

This is my monthly roundup of books that I added to my shelves in February 2025. Some of the books came directly from authors or publishers, others were purchased or gifts. You’ll find books from all kinds of genres, including adult and children’s books. I’ll even share a few updates from our family’s life in the last month as well.

Family and Life Update

I brought back fun cowboy hats from my trip to Texas in February and handed them out when we all got together for our daughter-in-law’s birthday!

I had gotten all 3 of us girls a bookish paint-by-number for Christmas so we started painting them together. Ooof, I didn’t know how tiny the spaces would be. At least we got started on them! You can find them, HERE.

We celebrated my mom’s 86th birthday (and my sisters’ birthdays as well) in March. I got Mom a new shower curtain and she just loves it.

Pat and I celebrated our 26th Anniversary with dinner out! I was craving Filet Mignon and our dinner at Kingston’s in Cedar Rapids was wonderful. It’s crazy to think of everything that has happened in our marriage these last 26 years and dream about what might be ahead in the next 26+ years! I pray for many more years to share with Pat.

Now, on to the books! 

I feel like I spent half the month catching up from being gone for two weeks in February and then it was Spring Break and I kind of took another week to relax and spend time with our daughter while she was home. But, every pocket of time you read helps you get to your goal. I finished 5 books in March and 3 of them were in the last 5 days of the month. I hope this encourages you to read in small pockets of time. Even twenty minutes a day can help you get through a few books a month. Be sure to follow me on Instagram, HERE, to see snippets of what I’m reading or what’s going on in my daily life.

This month’s list includes memoirs, historical fiction, mystery, cookbooks, and some great children’s books. My current reads include THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST, YOU DIDN’T HEAR THIS FROM ME on my Kindle, and I’m listening to BROOKE SHIELDS IS NOT ALLOWED TO GET OLD.

If you have missed any of my recent book reviews, you can see all of them by clicking HERE.  Or you can stay up to date with my monthly Quick Lit Roundup.

Clicking the photos of each book will take you to a link to purchase. If you choose to purchase through any of the links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.

Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction

CHILDREN OF THE BOOK
By: Ilana Kurshan
Published: August 26, 2025
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Memoir
Format: eBook for Review

I’m anxious to learn a different culture alongside the joy of reading to your children with this upcoming book.

In Children of the Book, Ilana Kurshan explores the closeness forged when family life unfolds against a backdrop of reading together. Kurshan, a mother of five living in Jerusalem, at first struggles to balance her passion for literature with her responsibilities as a parent. Gradually she learns how to relate to reading not as a solitary pursuit and an escape from the messiness of life, but rather as a way of teaching independence and forging connection. Introducing her children to sacred and secular literature—including the beloved classics of her childhood—helps her become both a better mother and a better reader.

Chief among the books Kurshan reads with her children is the Five Books of Moses, known as the Torah, which Jews the world over read in synchrony as part of the liturgical cycle. In the five parts of this memoir, Kurshan explores the surprising resonances between the biblical text and her experiences as a mother and a reader – from the first picture books that create the world through language for little babies, to the moment our children begin reading on their own leaving us behind, atop the mountain, as they enter new lands without us. A testament to the enduring power of shared texts, Children of the Book celebrates the deep pleasures of books.

THE DRESSMAKERS OF LONDON
By: Julia Kelly
Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio
Published: February 18, 2025
Publisher: Gallery Books
Historical Fiction
Format: Audiobook on Audible

My best friend highly recommended this one to me after she read it. I used my March Audible credit to get a copy. Julia Kelly has been on my to-read list already.

Isabelle Shelton has always found comfort in the predictable world of her mother’s dressmaking shop, Mrs. Shelton’s Fashions, while her sister Sylvia turned her back on the family years ago to marry a wealthy doctor whom Izzie detests. When their mother dies unexpectedly, the sisters are stunned to find they’ve jointly inherited the family business. Izzie is determined to buy Sylvia out, but when she’s conscripted into the WAAF, she’s forced to seek Sylvia’s help to keep the shop open. Realizing this could be her one chance at reconciliation with her sister, Sylvia is determined to save Mrs. Shelton’s Fashions from closure—and financial ruin.

Through letters, the sisters begin to confront old wounds, new loves, and the weight of family legacy in order to forge new beginnings in this lyrically moving novel.

THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST
By: Allison Pataki
Published: February 15, 2022
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Historical Fiction
Format: Paperback purchase

This is our book club read for March and we will be discussing it next week. I’m still reading it, but Marjorie Post, of the Post cereal family, is quite an interesting woman.

Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . .

So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweather Post lived an epic life few could imagine.

Marjorie’s journey began gluing cereal boxes in her father’s barn as a young girl. No one could have predicted that C. W. Post’s Cereal Company would grow into the General Foods empire and reshape the American way of life, with Marjorie as its heiress and leading lady. Not content to stay in her prescribed roles of high-society wife, mother, and hostess, Marjorie dared to demand more, making history in the process. Before turning thirty she amassed millions, becoming the wealthiest woman in the United States. But it was her life-force, advocacy, passion, and adventurous spirit that led to her stunning legacy.

And yet Marjorie’s story, though full of beauty and grandeur, set in the palatial homes she built such as Mar-a-Lago, was equally marked by challenge and tumult. A wife four times over, Marjorie sought her happily-ever-after with the blue-blooded party boy who could not outrun his demons, the charismatic financier whose charm turned to betrayal, the international diplomat with a dark side, and the bon vivant whose shocking secrets would shake Marjorie and all of society. Marjorie did everything on a grand scale, especially when it came to love.

THE GOD OF THE WOODS
By: Liz Moore
Published: July 2, 2024
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Mystery/Thriller
Format: Hardcover purchase

This was on ALL the Best Books lists in 2024. I wasn’t sure about reading it, but now I feel like I have FOMO since I haven’t read it. Since it was the Book of the Month Book of the Year, I got it FREE in my March box. Join Book of the Month HERE. You can always skip the month if their title choices don’t interest you! But, you get a FREE book during your birthday month and the FREE Book of the Year.

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

A MAP TO PARADISE
By: Susan Meissner
Published: March 18, 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Historical Fiction
Format: Hardcover purchase

This is the first time in many years that I haven’t received a Susan Meissner book for review. She is one of my all-time favorite authors, so when I could tell one wasn’t going to arrive in my mailbox, I decided to preorder it to make sure I had a copy.

With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter’s agoraphobia allows for just short chats through open windows. He’s her sole confidante, though, as she and her housekeeper, Eva, an immigrant from war-torn Europe, rarely make conversation.

Then one early morning Melanie and Eva spot Elwood’s sister-in-law and caretaker, June, digging in his beloved rose garden. After that they don’t see Elwood at all anymore. Where could a man who never leaves the house possibly have gone?

As they try to find out if something has happened to him, unexpected secrets are revealed among all three women, leading to an alliance that seems the only way for any of them to hold on to what they can still call their own. But it’s a fragile pact and one little spark could send it all up in smoke.

CARE AND FEEDING
A Memoir
By: Laurie Woolever
Published: March 11, 2025
Publisher: Ecco
Memoir
Format: Hardcover purchase

This was my Book of the Month choice for March. I love food memoirs.

In this moving, hilarious, and insightful memoir, Laurie Woolever traces her path from a small-town childhood to working at revered restaurants and food publications, alternately bolstered and overshadowed by two of the most powerful men in the business. But there’s more to the story than the two bold-faced names on her Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain.

Behind the scenes, Laurie’s life is frequently chaotic, an often pleasurable buffet of bad decisions at which she frequently overstays her welcome. Acerbic and wryly self-deprecating, Laurie attempts to carve her own space as a woman in this world that is by turns toxic and intoxicating. Laurie seeks to try it all—from a seedy Atlantic City strip club to the Park Hyatt Tokyo, from a hippie vegetarian co-op to the legendary El Bulli—while balancing her consuming work with her sometimes ambivalent relationship to marriage and motherhood.

As the food world careens toward an overdue reckoning and Laurie’s mentors face their own high-profile descents, she is confronted with the questions of where she belongs and how to hold on to the parts of her life’s work that she truly values: care and feeding.

THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM AT THE TABLE
Farmhouse Recipes from My Family to Yours
By: Kaleb Wyse
Published: March 4, 2025
Publisher: Harvest
Cookbook
Format: Hardcover purchase

Kaleb is wildly popular on social media for his how-to videos on caring for his garden or the plethora of plants on his acreage in Iowa and for the numerous recipes he shares. But, people love him for his genuine kindness, his love for his family and the home that means so much to him, and for his practical approach to preparing food that you’ll want to eat. I preordered his cookbook and I can’t wait to read it and try some of his recipes.

When Kaleb Wyse started documenting his daily life on his farm in Iowa, he didn’t think many people would take notice or even care. After all, his way of life is simple, guided by the seasons—he spends his days gardening, preserving, baking, and cooking, a rhythm not all that different from that of his parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents who worked the land before him.

But it turns out that people from all over the country (and even the world) connected with Kaleb’s simple, back-to-basics way of living, and fell in love with his hearty, homestyle cooking. From casseroles to biscuits, his recipes hit the sweet spot of nostalgia for some—and are a breath of fresh air for others.

In his debut cookbook, Kaleb shares his midwestern family recipes, updated for the way we eat:

Overnight French Toast Stick CasseroleCornmeal Pancakes with Blackberry SauceRoasted Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Apricot GlazeCaesar Roasted Brussels SproutsRoasted Zucchini, Dill, and Feta DipHoney Dijon Three Bean SaladRhubarb Custard Pie BarsFrom breakfasts and main courses to side dishes and desserts, the timeless food in this cookbook will appeal to every generation. Kaleb’s philosophy behind his recipes is the dishes must be reminiscent of those prepared by his mom, grandmas, or even great-grandmas; the ingredients have to be readily available in his southeastern Iowa grocery stores (meaning that they’d be available for pretty much anyone else); and the end result needs to be no-nonsense and taste amazing.

This delightful cookbook is a reminder that it’s ok to slow down and keep it simple in the kitchen—the result with Kaleb’s recipes will always be comforting, classic, and delicious.

ONE POT OF THE DAY
365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year
By: Kate McMillan
Published: October 12, 2012
Publisher: Weldon Owen
Cookbook
Format: Paperback Purchase

Kate’s cookbooks have been on my list to find at the thrift store for a while. Her books all cover recipes to eat over the course of a year. Books like VEGETABLE OF THE DAY and SOUP OF THE DAY are similar to this one that features a recipe for every day of the year. She also has TACO NIGHT and BURGER NIGHT cookbooks on my list. I was thrilled to spot this one at the thrift store this week!

This tempting collection of 365 recipes offers a one-pot meal for each day of the year. From January to December, you’ll find fresh inspiration and a seasonal dish to satisfy any craving or suit any occasion.

From slow-cooked stews and quick stir-frys to paellas and pilafs, the spectacular array of dishes in this cookbook will serve you through the seasons. No matter what you are in the mood for—comforting casseroles, braised meats, creamy chowders, frittatas and risottos, hearty pot pies, cheesy gratins, baked pastas, or spicy gumbos, curries and tagines—you’ll find an enticing meal that can be made or presented all in one vessel.

Children’s Fiction and Non-Fiction

HELLO HELLO NUMBERS
By: Brendan Wenzel
Published: June 24, 2025
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Board Book for Review

You know I love this series by Brendan Wenzel. When our great-nephews come over, this series is the first one they pull out of my book basket. The boys always want me to read these books to them.

Say hello to early learning concepts and the wild world of animals!
 
Little ones will learn their numbers with the help of one orca, six flamingos, and twelve zebras! More than a dozen wonderful and endangered creatures from earth, sea, and sky parade across the pages and show the beauty and variety of our planet. A key at the back of the book identifies the animals for even more nature fun.

MAYBE JUST ASK ME
By: Katie Mazeika
Published: April 22, 2025
Publisher: Beach Lane Books
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

Katie Mazeika has written biography picture books about amazing women who contributed to history. This one about a child with a disability will be great for reading and discussing in your home or in a classroom.

Mazie wears an eyepatch and a head scarf, and on her first day at a new school she’s prepared for her classmates to wonder why. And they do, but no one talks to her about it. Instead, wild rumors fly around the classroom that she’s a pirate or a dragon burned off her hair! Mazie doesn’t mind explaining her disability, but can she find the courage to tell the other kids to just ask her?

ANYTHING
By: Rebecca Stead
Illustrated by: Gracey Zhang
Published: April 29, 2025
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

A great story for kids who are moving, for kids who have parents splitting up, or for kids worried about starting something new.

What’s more powerful than a secret wish? A wish you say out loud.

Anything paints a tender picture of a father and daughter moving into a new home. Dad brings a birthday cake for the new apartment to celebrate their new beginning and tells his daughter she can wish for anything (or, more precisely, “three Anythings”). Over the course of the day, she wishes for some of her favorite things, including a rainbow and “the biggest slice of pizza in the whole world.”

But she keeps some of her wishes inside. Because what she really wants is to go back home to their old apartment, with its big blue bathtub and space in the closet for hide-and-seek. When she finally admits this last wish, her dad takes her on a journey, and by the book’s final pages, she is home . . . in every way that matters.

Pairing an enchanting story from Rebecca Stead (author of the Newbery Medal-winning When You Reach Me) with delightful artwork from Gracey Zhang (illustrator of the Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning Lala’s Words), Anything is pure magic. A story that will resonate with every young reader, it is a powerful reminder that sometimes making a wish is a way of telling ourselves we’re ready for something new.

FOREST SCHOOL: THE BIG FORT
By: Ruth Symons
Illustrated by: Sebastien Braun
Published: February 18, 2025
Publisher: Templar Books
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

Encourage kids to explore and be outside with this book which includes a story along with factual information.

Join Mouse, Squirrel, Fox, and Rabbit for a forest school adventure. Today, the group is learning how to build a fort! Out in the woods, they can learn about wildlife, try something new, and get creative with a few problem-solving challenges. This book will have little ones itching to get outdoors and have adventures of their own. Embracing the Forest School focus on play and exploration—and written in consultation with a Forest School expert—this series will appeal to readers whether or not they’ve been to Forest School before.

THE SEARCH FOR CARMELLA
What Mystery Lurks in the Deep?
By: Chloe Savage
Published: February 4, 2025
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

A very cool book for kids who love the ocean or exploring!

Ever since Dr. Rose was a little girl playing in rock pools, she has always loved exploring the sea and the weird and wonderful creatures living there. Now, as a marine biologist, Dr. Rose is in search of a sea creature rumored to reside within the ocean’s hidden depths, a mysterious beast that many speak of but no one has ever seen: Carmella. With her team of scientists and explorers, descending in a submersible to the unfathomable dark of the deep ocean, what incredible creatures will Dr. Rose discover inhabiting a nearly pitch-black world? Rich with the magnificent sea life that can be found in deep water, Chloe Savage’s strikingly illustrated tale of a strong-willed woman scientist will spark young readers to pursue their own dreams, no matter how elusive.

GROWING GREEN
A First Book of Gardening
15 Fun Gardening Projects to Grow and Eat
By: Daniela Sosa
Published: March 25, 2025
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

Get your child excited about growing their own garden with this book written especially for them.

Fifteen simple step-by-step edible gardening projects for young children.From strawberries in welly boots to herbs in recycled tin cans, this easy-to-follow gardening book contains 15 simple, edible projects for young gardeners. Learn all you need to grow your own fruit, herbs and vegetables in the space that you have, from a windowsill to an allotment in this fun and stylish collection of growing activities for five- to nine-year-olds.With bright, engaging illustrations and step-by-step instructions, this is an ideal gift for any young child wanting to find out more about where their food comes from and grow some themselves!

THE GIRL WHO TESTED THE WATERS
Ellen Swallow, Environmental Scientist
By: Patricia Daniele
Illustrated by: Junyi Wu
Published: February 4, 2025
Publisher: MIT Kids Press
Non-Fiction/Biography
Format: Hardcover Picture Books

Another great biography about a woman in STEM from our history. Ellen Swallow is such a great role model for young girls today!

Ellen Swallow found a friend in nature and a lifelong love of science as a child exploring the woods around her family’s home. She was a voracious learner with an interest in chemistry, and continuing her education at the newly established Massachusetts Institute of Technology seemed a good fit. But in 1871, many believed that women belonged in the home, not in schools dedicated to the study of science. Ellen thought, why not both? She believed science could help solve the problems of everyday life, including the pollution she observed in Boston, so when offered the chance to study the city’s water systems, she seized it. What she found would change the way we think about clean water. In her lifetime, Ellen pioneered science education for women, advocated for a healthier environment, and helped develop the field of ecology. The Girl Who Tested the Waters, with engaging text and soft, inviting illustrations, portrays a woman ahead of her time and her tireless efforts to bring about change for good. Curious readers can find more in the back matter, including a time line, an author’s note, source notes, and a bibliography.

THIS BOOK BUBBLES OVER
From the Ocean to Mars and Everywhere in Between
Published: Nora Nickum
Illustrated by: Robert Meganck
Published: March 11, 2025
Publisher: Peachtree
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Books

Great for building your STEM library, read this book and make/blow bubbles with your kids!

What is a bubble? A puff of air, a swirl of gas, temporarily trapped in something else. Perhaps just moments away from popping and disappearing forever.

A bubble might look flimsy and insubstantial. But there’s more to it than that.

A bubble can. . .
Last a long time, like the bubble wrap that cushions packages
Or pop right away, like a soap bubble

It can be inside. . .
A liquid, like boiling water
Or a solid, like a loaf of bread

A bubble can be. . .
Lifesaving, like firefighting foam
Or dangerous, like the bubble nets whales form to capture fish

Delve into bubbles in this follow-up from the team behind This Book Is Full of Holes. Filled with fascinating and unusual examples from diverse STEM fields—including physics, biology, geology, food science, and medicine—this book bubbles over with fun facts about our world.

Back matter includes an author’s note about the research process, language arts connections, and information about how surface tension makes fun soap bubbles possible.

HOOP QUEENS 2
By: Charles R. Smith Jr.
Published: May 7, 2024
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Non-Fiction/Biography
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

Basketball fans will love learning about the Queens of Women’s Basketball. A great choice for April Poetry Month.

Are your moves as smooth as A’ja Wilson’s? Do you make the game look effortless like Sue Bird? Are you a complete player like Candace Parker? A scoring machine like Diana Taurasi? Whether it’s the towering Brittney Griner, or Elena Delle Donne doing her thing, or Breanna Stewart with her big bag of tricks, Charles R. Smith’s indomitable wordplay revels in the superb talents of thirteen of the best female players in basketball. Matched with kinetic, stylized photos of the players, these upbeat poems capture the elite agility and skills the professionals bring to the game. End notes delve into how the author uses a variety of poetic forms and language to spotlight each athlete.

IF I COULD CHOOSE A BEST DAY
Poems of Possibility
Selected By: Irene Latham and Charles Waters
Illustrated by: Olivia Sua
Published: March 4, 2025
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Poetry
Format: Hardcover Picture Book for Review

Another great choice for teaching kids about poetry during Poetry Month.

If I could choose a best day
it would be sunny
it would be summer

and I would be with you.

Imagine what you could do with if. Build a tree house, ride your bike back in time, catch a firefly like a tiny star in the palm of your hands and let it go to make a wish—anything, when it starts with if. Because if is where your imagination begins, where the impossible becomes possible, if only you imagine. And if you do, just think of how much better our world could be. Thirty-one poets, selected by “poetic forever friends” and frequent collaborators Irene Latham and Charles Waters, begin each of their poems with the word if and imagine the possibilities the gift of if can hold. Olivia Sua’s cut-paper and painted-mosaic illustrations add warmth and meaning to the poems, allowing the reader’s mind to soar with possibility. In an end note, the anthologists offer insight into their selection process, aimed at gathering a comprehensive and representative collection of poems.

YOU’RE A POET
Ways to Start Writing Poems
By: Sean Taylor
Illustrated by: Sam Usher
Published: March 4, 2025
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Poetry
Format: Hardcover Picture Book for Review

Teach your youngest readers about poetry with this cute picture book.

When Piglet picks up a stone and drops it into a puddle, words seem to splash out: wet, fresh, earthy, sploshing, sunshiny, puddle. Is Piglet a poet? Each of five charming stories captures a warm snapshot into some happy moment in childhood while demonstrating how to create a different kind of poem: a puddle poem, a comparing poem, a making-a-person-out-of-something poem, an if-I-was poem, and an I-would-give-you poem. With plenty of tips and tricks after each story and fresh illustrations by Sam Usher, author Sean Taylor makes poetry writing accessible, inspiring even the youngest of children to find their voice and call themselves poets.

A SPOONFUL OF TIME
By: Flora Ahn
Published: March 18, 2025
Publisher: Quirk Books
Middle Grade Fiction
Format: Paperback for Review

Ahn’s follow-up to her middle-grade title, A BRUSH WITH MAGIC.

There’s something almost magical about the way Maya’s grandmother cooks–and although Halmunee may be losing her memory, she always knows how to make the most delicious gimbap. Maya doesn’t remember her family’s old life in Korea, but she learns new recipes and stories when they cook together–stories that Maya’s mom would prefer stayed in the past, especially if they involve Maya’s father.

One summer day, as Maya and Halmunee are making patbingsu, something unbelievable happens: a single delicious bite transports Maya and Halmunee back in time, into the memory itself. Halmunee explains that their family has the ability to time travel through food–and Maya can do it too, if she practices.

As she eats her way through the past, Maya tries to unravel the mystery of what life was like in Korea, and what really happened to her dad. She learns that time moves in ways she couldn’t imagine . . . and that sometimes, families keep secrets to protect the ones they love.

FOREST MAGIC FOR KIDS
How to Find Fairies, Make a Secret Fort, and Cook Up and Elfin Picnic
By: Susie Spikol
Illustrated by: Renia Metallinou
Published: April 1, 2025
Publisher: Gibbs Smith
Middle Grade Fiction
Format: Hardcover for Review

This is adorable! Get this for your fairy-watching child’s Easter basket!

Your enchanted guide to 50+ magical activities for everything from finding hidden flower fairies in your own backyard and making a special wizard staff to creating a tiny woodland village and making your own forest potions.

Come discover the wild magic tucked into the nooks and crannies of forests, thickets, and meadows. Search for fairy dusted glow-in-the-dark mushrooms. Find secret worlds hidden in trees and uncover the tunnels, trails, and dens of gnomes and trolls, and mice and moles. Learn to listen to the forest, make sun-warmed pine tea, and wear an evergreen crown to an elf picnic.

BANNED TOGETHER
Our Fight for Readers’ Rights
Edited by: Ashley Hope Pérez
Illustrated by: Debbie Fong
Published: March 4, 2025
Publisher: Holiday House
Young Adult Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover for Review

This essay collection reminds us and teens to fight for their right to read!

Books are disappearing from shelves across the country.

What does this mean for authors, illustrators, and—most crucially—for young readers?

This bold collection of fiction, memoir, poetry, graphic narratives, essays, and other genres explores book bans through various lenses, and empowers teens to fight back. From moving personal accounts to clever comebacks aimed at censorship, fifteen legendary YA authors and illustrators confront the high-stakes question of what is lost when books are kept from teens.

WHO OWNS THE MOON?
And Other Conundrums of Exploring and Using Space
By: Cynthia Levinson and Jennifer Swanson
Published: January 14, 2025
Publisher: Margaret Quinlin Books
Young Adult Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover for Review

I’m a huge fan of Jennifer Swanson’s science books for kids! This one is so good for older kids or higher-level middle-grade readers.

For teens who are space fans, this book is loaded with fascinating facts, great stories, and new ways of thinking about the challenges of space. It covers topics on the science of space and developments in technology (e.g., satellites behaving like spacecraft), and it also considers the laws that have been drafted for space travel and space etiquette—the agreed upon norms of behavior that allow humans to explore without conflict.

The book discusses the problem of space debris, and the growth of space tourism. It provides details about the Artemis missions and plans for the Gateway space station, and so much more. It challenges young readers to think about the decisions that need to be made in the years ahead to ensure that space exploration remains an exhilarating and peaceful activity.

And the final chapter provides guidance on careers in the space industry—being an astronaut is only one of many exciting paths to pursue.

Which books are you adding to your reading list?

Click HERE to see all the posts featuring new books on my shelves.

So many books, so little time!