Berry, a professional sword-swallower, juggler, and yoga instructor, shares surprising anecdotes from his life, ranging from harrowing accounts of being bullied in his childhood to bold endeavors as an adult, like surfing 21-foot waves and intervening to stop a rape. The stories absolutely move, as the title suggests, each carrying a message or meaning that he took from them, from lessons about how to cope with being abused, to coping with grief after the loss of the beloved cat Whiskey (introduced as “just a dark-furred little girl alone in the world”), to knowing when it's time to take decisive action in order to help others. A number of the stories focus on his difficult childhood, as his brothers frequently terrorized him despite his wanting to love them. His father, despite being loving in many ways (as shown in helping him build a go-kart), was also depicted as physically violent. One story where Berry fought back is especially disturbing.

Berry’s philosophical, instructive, and humanistic messages leaven the themes of death and violence, as he recounts learning from a young age that it's not always possible to save the ones you love. He also learns that bullies look for easy prey—and the urgency of protecting yourself, a skill he quickly developed. As an adult, he writes about subjects ranging from unique forms of revenge on kids pestering him to a near-death but exhilarating experience as a surfer. Brushes with death and violence persist, like in a terrifying story of a bloody fight with his girlfriend's drunken, murderous father, told with polish, power, and welcome insight.

He concludes with a story about helping out at the scene of a car accident, discussing the other helpers, and finally revealing that everyone there was of a different race and background. For a moment, everyone there was "humans and nothing more." That’s Berry's message: when we treat each other with compassion, as humans, we're capable of great kindness. When we treat each other as things to be used, violence usually follows.

Takeaway: Humane, harrowing stories of a life facing violence and danger.

Comparable Titles: R. Layla Salek’s Chaos in Color, Lee Smith’s Dimestore.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Stories That Move

Wesslen’s debut novel offers a charming, nostalgic coming-of-age story that transcends its time and place. When his father tells eleven-year-old Jayson “Jay” Zimmerman that the family is moving from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, he’s upset that his life will be upended—again. After moving five times in his ten years, Jay worries that he will not be able to “plant new roots” like his parents suggest—particularly when it comes to making friends. But things begin looking up when his new neighbors Paul, Kenny, and Matt invite him to play a game of sandlot baseball.

Though Jay has quite an arm, he’s got a lot to learn off the baseball field. Some of his challenges are unique, like his struggle to decipher his teacher’s Boston accent, but others are tried and true benchmarks of growing up: adjusting to a new school, making friends, dealing with bullies, surviving a first crush. While occasionally putting his foot in his mouth, Jay faces all his ups and downs with resilience and humor, including his sometimes-fraught relationship with his parents: Jay’s father wants him to pursue a military career, but Jay isn’t sure he shares his father’s vision of his future.

The story follows Jay from middle school to high school graduation, moving quickly and smoothly from one episode to the next, albeit occasionally at the expense of deeper reflection. However, Jay’s world has impressive depth thanks to Wesslen’s authentic depiction of the complexities beneath the calm surface of suburban middle-class life in the 1970s. Wesslen celebrates the era but does not sugar coat it: alongside references to the Carpenters, Happy Days, and Strat-O-Matic, he also includes glimpses of its racism and homophobia. Though younger readers may not recognize these historical and cultural references, they will be able to relate to Wesslen’s well-drawn, multifaceted characters that stumble as much as they succeed.

Takeaway: An honest, heartfelt story about growing up that will especially appeal to baseball fans.

Comparable Titles: Jordan Sonnenblick’s Curveball, Mike Lupica.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Ace on the Hill

Stanley (author of The Treasure of Cedar Creek) weaves this classic whodunit into a web of family secrets. The day she turns 18, Madison Moore packs up her car and leaves her family and her hometown of Orem, Utah, behind, fleeing the conventional path that her conservative Mormon parents and community expect her to follow. While she creates a happy life for herself in Nevada, graduating college and becoming a journalist, she remains nearly totally estranged from her family: her parents and brothers do not even attend her wedding. However, she reluctantly returns to Utah when her dying father wants to see her one last time.

Madison’s raw emotions ripple across the page as she reluctantly returns to her beautiful but stifling hometown and struggles to navigate her rocky relationships: her interactions with her mother are strained and painful, and her stilted conversations with her brothers devolve into angry fights . Initially, readers will share Madison’s frustration with her father’s vague, cryptic appeals that seem like distractions from her compelling emotional journey. But as Madison searches for answers, she discovers that her father’s anguish has more to do with her than she realized As she sits at her father’s bedside, Madison hopes that during his moments of lucidity they will be able to mend the ugly rift in their relationship.

But Stanley builds smoothly to revelations, like Madison’s father’s deeper purpose for their reunion: to ask for Madison’s help in freeing a woman wrongfully convicted for a murder he knows she didn’t commit. As Madison struggles to understand her father’s role in the injustice, she discovers that her family harbors more secrets than even she realized. Stanley unravels this mystery carefully and deliberately, often using Madison’s dialogue and internal monologue to recap her progress. An unexpected twist in the final chapters is surprising but well-earned, offering a satisfying synthesis of Madison’s past and her father’s last request.

Takeaway: Well-constructed mystery of family angst, redemption, and satisfying twists.

Comparable Titles: Charlie Donlea’s Twenty Years Later, Ashley Flowers’s All Good People Here.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about The Still Small Voice

“Collaboration is about leveraging the power of the hive mind, not relying on groupthink,” McKinney writes in this rousing guide to the power and art of working together in business to achieve greater impacts than anyone can alone. Calling for readers to “reframe how we seek and offer service to others” and “break out of your limited perspective,” McKinney shares inspiring anecdotes and practical advice on ways to create networking opportunities and successful collaborations, emphasizing what it actually takes to become a productive and resourceful collaborator. Challenging common conceptions of the idea of "groupthink" and group projects—and addressing how to ensure an equitable division of work within them— McKinney offers clear guidance to ensure that all involved in the collaboration understand that they’re striving to win together, focused on the overall goals of the team.

McKinney writes with clarity and persuasive power, offering examples and action steps to approaching potential collaborations and gauging whether partnerships will work out in everyone's best interest. Her experience shines throughout, in clarifying case studies of building successful partnerships, often drawn from her own career, plus fresh tools crafted through hard-won knowledge, such as her seven "anchors" to use as a reference point when attempting to find potential collaborators. McKinney convincingly argues that, once a reader has “honed your ability to seek out collaboration,” it can take just “five minutes” to evaluate whether a potential relationship ”is worth your time, if you have mutual interests, or if there’s something you can help each other with."

With ways on how to use the ever-shifting world of social media to find potential collaborators and cultivate beneficial partnerships, this is a strong resource for business leaders looking to network and branch out with like minded business partners. Anyone eager to update their thinking about the art of working together in business or on digital platforms will garner useful tips and educational information from this book.

Takeaway: Fresh, practical self-help guide focused on networking and collaboration.

Comparable Titles: Karen Wickre's Taking the Work Out of Networking, Joe Polish's What's in it for Them?

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Collaboration is the New Competition