The Art Thieves by Andrea L Rogers

 

 The Art Thieves by Andrea L. Rogers. Levine Querida (Chronicle Books), 2024. YA futuristic fiction.

Stevie Henry is a young Cherokee woman whose tight nuclear family includes Mom, Dad, and little brother Levi. They live in a Teas city, but return to the reservation on weekends and see extended family. Her best friends, Jess and Loren, are a couple and the three hope to attend college together soon. Stevie works in the gift shop at the local museum and it is here that she meets Adam, a handsome young artist. Adam says he is from Costa Rica, but that soon is proved false.  

When Levi gets seriously ill, the family is desperate to help him.  When Adam  tells Stevie that he is really from the future and that our world is about to have major problems, how will Stevie react? Can they save major art works? Can they save themselves? Can anyone save Levi?

The references to Levi's allergies ring true and the little family is incredibly careful with his food choices. The art museum is a place of learning and safety for Stevie. The words she speaks in Cherokee and her links to her heritage fit into the narrative. Details about Jess and Loren and their relationship and reactions to Jess's strict parents are carefully woven into the story, too. So much of the coming apocalypse makes the characters search for what's really important to them. This is a book that makes readers THINK!

The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar

 

 The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar. Ace, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2025. Adult fantasy.

When the king and queen of the fictional country of Esquaveta try to arrange the marriage of their daughter Princess Tullia, the court magician, Anatole, is charged with making a potion to make possible a wedding with an odious prince. For, alas, Tullia has already fallen in love with Pito, a lowly scribe.

In this twisty adult fairy tale, Anatole and the young people go on adventures, face trouble,  and find themselves ever closer as they travel and search for safety and new lives. Anatole is a hero for the ages with his baldness and medicines and care for Tullia and Pito. Readers may not know where the story is going, but, trust me, just keep reading as it all comes together in the end, Amidst the struggles of modern life and its political fighting, I found this tale to be just the right antidote!

Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina

 

 

Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina. Illustrated by Anna and Elena Balbusso. Candlewick, 2025. Chapter book, fantasy. 

Graciela has the spirit of a thirteen year old, but she has lived at the bottom of the ocean for a hundred years. She makes beautiful sea glass. She also assists Amina, her friend, in welcoming new spirits. Meanwhile, Jorge Leon works on land in his family's forge and wants to be a toymaker. Jorge finds a handmade harpoon that can spear a sea ghost. His family's history is tied up with the harpoon and Jorge must work with Graciela to help both the living and the dead. 

I confess that I read this book the week after so many children died in the Kerrville area floods. It was hard to get past the prologue where Graciela's foot slips and she drowns. The fantasy of Graciela and Amina helping spirits transition to time underwater was hard to read. I worried for Jorge's character, too. Even though the children work to resolve their immediate problem and the ultimate ending comes full circle, it was hard to focus on beautiful and otherwise enchanting language and themes. 

 

 The Woman in the Wallpaper: A Novel by Lora Jones. Union Square & Co., 2025. Historical fiction.

After their beloved father dies, sisters Sofi and Lara must move from Marseilles to Paris where they are offered work in a factory that produces wallpaper. It is the time of the French Revolution and Sofi becomes increasingly involved with politics. Lara, a good artist, attracts the attention of Josef who has inherited the factory, but Josef marries the aristocratic Hortense. The three women are thrown together during the dramatic times and readers will find their struggles intriguing. Lara resembles "the woman in the wallpaper" who was based on Josef's own mother. Can the threads of the  past and the present be tied up?

The Art of Scandal: The Life and Times of Isabella Stewart Gardner by Douglass Shand-Tucci.

 

 The Art of Scandal: The Life and Times of Isabella Stewart Gardner by Douglass Shand-Tucci. HarperCollins, 1997. Nonfiction.

   While this nonfiction title does tell about the life of collector and museum owner Isabella Stewart Gardner of Boston (1840-1924), it is really about the times she lived in as an adult. Painted by Sargent in 1888 as a strong married woman, she was painted again at age 82 by Sargent and portrayed as wrapped in gauze. The book focuses on the people Isabella knew, the young artists she mentored, her own ability to NOT follow the cultural norm, and her lifelong quest to find beauty. She travelled extensively, collected paintings, sculptures, and other historically important items. These, she put into her own home, designed to show off her collections, and to be given to the  public as a museum. Purchased, arranged, and curated by a woman, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston stands as a living tribute to a unique person. This book serves as an introduction to her.

Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting by Jean Mills

 Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting by Jean Mills. YA fiction. Red Deer Press, 2023.

 In this delightful teen romp, shy Bliss Adair helps her parents run a knitting and yarn store. Bliss is great at puzzles like knitting patterns! But, she is not really the girl to go out of her way at school or to attract attention in a socially skilled way. From an overweight friend to a new girl whose grandmother asks for Bliss' help, Bliss is put in the center of teen drama. Her own family is insightful and loving. And, Bliss' approach to helping friends is based on the first rule of knitting take one step at a time. Not looking too far ahead helps Bliss navigate Life. 

How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold

 

 How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold. Poisoned Pen Press, 2025. Adult fiction. Mystery. Horror.

 After the death of Mortimer Queen, the king of horror novelists, seven people are invited to his estate with promise that they have been left something. One by one, si of them meet untimely ends in gruesome ways. Interspersed with "chapters" about the seven that are seemingly written by Mortimer Queen, readers learn how they were all connected to the writer, his work, or his family. Proceeding from room to room and trying to solve a riddle, the narrative moves forward.  Readers can have fun marking up their books, counting down the characters, and trying to decide who will survive this horror story.