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THE CLEAREST VOICE IN THE ROOM
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 23, 2026

THE CLEAREST VOICE IN THE ROOM

This motivational book opens by discussing how women often face “You should say something” moments but don’t end up speaking out because of fear. The author emphasizes that the goal is not to have the loudest voice but the clearest. A woman’s voice, she insists, can create a “ripple” that extends to fellow teammates or

CHASING ENOUGH
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 22, 2026

CHASING ENOUGH

In a society fueled by the ever-present need for more, says author and entrepreneur Balak, it’s nearly impossible to know what’s enough. She calls this concept—this “belief that more will solve everything”—“chasing enough.” But according to the author, chasing enough is a perilous cycle that traps even the most success

SOUL
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 22, 2026

SOUL

In the context of Black cultural life, writes English professor Freeburg, “soul is the one-word answer to this question: How did enslaved Africans turn America’s infamous failure into the greatest moral occasion of modern Western life?” Soul involves the formation of community, self-care, and self-help; delivering aid

HOLLYWOOD, ENDING
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 22, 2026

HOLLYWOOD, ENDING

“Every movie romance needs an Obstacle, a reason the characters don’t naturally fall into each other.” In the off-screen romance between actors Juniper Castillo and Kai Laramie, the obstacle is a moving target. Juniper notices early on that as flirty and forward as Kai is, he seems “closed off to a romantic connection”

LETTER BOX
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 24, 2026

LETTER BOX

In a curious and visually unique combination of words by former New York Times reporter Black and page designs (“visualization”) by illustrator Lehrer, this book portrays the author’s experiences dealing with grief after his mother’s unexpected death. The minimal text Black provides is scattered sparingly across the bo

THROTTLE ON
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 24, 2026

THROTTLE ON

Whether it was losing his parents or the dissolution of his nearly 25-year marriage, whenever the pain of loss became too great for him to bear, Mirasole looked to the open road for escape. “I’d come home from those roads different in some way I couldn’t name—quieter, maybe, or more willing to be alone with whatever wa

MISCHIEF AND MONSTERS
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 22, 2026

MISCHIEF AND MONSTERS

Twelve-year-old Jordi Acosta wasn’t ready for puberty to make him significantly taller and heavier than his classmates. The self-conscious sixth grader strives to avoid attracting extra attention. He’s a quiet, witty, and likable protagonist—a sweet kid who’s content sharing riddles with his Cuban immigrant Abuelito an

FRAMED
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 22, 2026

FRAMED

Everyone has noticed a shift in Toby, but she lashes out when others try to help. After botching her art assignment and then trashing it, Toby shouts down her art teacher and receives lunchtime detention. There she meets two other students, Layla and Reed, whom she treats with the same rudeness she’s been showing to ev

EAT, DRINK, AND GET BURIED
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 22, 2026

EAT, DRINK, AND GET BURIED

At Village Blend in New York’s Greenwich Village, Clare Cosi and her team of baristas serve up only the best brews, using fresh-ground beans sourced by Matt Allegro, her globe-trotting ex-husband. So it’s no surprise that when rising young culinary star Ava Welsh decides to throw a birthday bash for her boyfriend, sess

JAX FREEMAN AND THE GRAVEYARD FOREST
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 22, 2026

JAX FREEMAN AND THE GRAVEYARD FOREST

Jax has faced some truly creepy creatures in previous episodes, but none compares with the mysterious Wraith Queen—who has somehow escaped confinement through the otherworldly Doors of Gold and Bone. Wielding ropes of viciously thorny vines and other deadly flora, she’s set out on a mad campaign of general destruction—

MAZYWOOD
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 22, 2026

MAZYWOOD

The movies are literally in Hollywood screenwriter/producer Johnny Washington’s DNA as the grandson of Mazelle Washington, a legendary Black actress from the 1920s to the ’40s, who, as with such comparably gifted peers as Hattie McDaniel, was consigned to playing comedic servant roles during the studio system’s golden

KEEPER CHANCE AND THE PIGEON PREDICAMENT
Kirkusreviews iconKirkusreviewsSep 22, 2026

KEEPER CHANCE AND THE PIGEON PREDICAMENT

This trilogy closer sends Keeper, sidekick Toby Boggs, and distracted (if ever resourceful) associate Y into a series of misadventures after they agree to help recover an important but fragmented message. Though returning fans of the series might find the joke has worn a bit thin, they’ll still enjoy seeing what offbea

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