As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel
The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri
When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley
Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi
Warrior Princess Assassin by Bridgid Kemmerer
Tag Archives: Venessa Vida Kelley
Happy Latine Heritage Month 2025!
Happy Latine Heritage Month! We’re celebrating as we do with books by Latine authors, mostly starring Latine main characters, and if you want even more recs, check out past years’ posts!
Middle Grade
It’s All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango
All these months of staring at the wall?
All these months of feeling weak?
It’s ending—
I’m going back to fencing.
And then it’ll be
like nothing ever happened.
No one knows hard work and dedication like Valentina Camacho. And Vale’s thing is fencing. She’s the top athlete at her fencing gym. Or she was . . . until the accident.
After months away, Vale is finally cleared to fence again, but it’s much harder than before. Her body doesn’t move the way it used to, and worst of all is the new number one: Myrka. When she sweeps Vale aside with her perfect form and easy smile, Vale just can’t accept that. But the harder Vale fights to catch up, the more she realizes her injury isn’t the only thing holding her back. If she can’t leave her accident in the past, then what does she have to look forward to?
New Releases: April 2025
Unboxing Libby by Steph Cherrywell (1st)
AI meets American Girl Dolls in this quirky novel about a group of preteen androids who have been cast aside and have to make their own way in the world.
Max isn’t always sweet and bubbly. That wouldn’t be an issue except for the fact that she’s programmed to be. “Max” isn’t even her real name. She’s a Libby– one of the most popular A.I.Cademy Girl social robots, which top the sales charts for girls ages eight to twelve. They look almost human and there’s a companion to fit every personality. Wendys are smart. Robins are sporty. Noras are artistic. And Libbys? As the box they come in says: Always chipper, cheerful, and sweet, Libby(TM) makes the perfect friend.
But despite her packaging and her programmed memories, Max is feeling the opposite of perfect. The only thing she wants to know is why. But this question uncovers bigger answers than she bargained for – like the shocking fate of the other A.I.Cademy Girls, and what the founders of their idyllic community are really hiding. Max may not be the perfect Libby, but she’ll have to embrace what makes her uniquely Max to save herself and her friends before they’re all sent to the junkyard.
Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month!
Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month! We’re celebrating as we do, with queer Caribbean fiction!
Middle Grade
Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender
Being born during a hurricane is considered unlucky where twelve-year-old Caroline Murphy lives, and she has had her share of bad luck lately. She’s hated and bullied by everyone in her small school on St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands. A spirit only she can see won’t stop following her. And—worst of all—Caroline’s mother left home one day and never came back.
But when a new student named Kalinda arrives, Caroline’s luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, becomes Caroline’s first and only friend—and the person for whom Caroline has begun to develop a crush. Now, Caroline must find the strength to confront her feelings for Kalinda, brave the spirit stalking her through the islands, and face the reason her mother abandoned her. Together, Caroline and Kalinda must set out in a hurricane to find Caroline’s missing mother—before Caroline loses her forever.
August 2023 Deal Announcements
Adult Fiction
Translator and winner of Columbia’s Henfield Prize ‘s LIQUID, pitched as a subversion of the marriage plot novel for fans of Paul Beatty, set in Los Angeles and Tehran, in which an early 30s queer Muslim adjunct professor sets out to marry rich, resolving to suffer through 100 dates in a single summer, to Evan Hansen-Bundy at Algonquin, in a pre-empt, by Danielle Bukowski at Sterling Lord Literistic (world).