September 2026

Moving, elegant and genuinely inspiring, this is a David-and-Goliath true story about a woman named Liseby Elyse, who was forced from her island home and spent decades fighting to go back. Sands (who argued the case) turns international law into a page-turner without ever losing sight of the real people at the center of it. It is a short book that will leave you thinking about courage, dignity and what one determined voice can accomplish.

Gabel treats your eating habits the way a good executive treats a business problem: gather the data, make one small decision at a time and build a system you can actually stick with. Full of real client stories, practical steps and zero fad-diet nonsense, it is a smart read for anyone who wants more energy for the people counting on them.

Ten liberating principles about creativity, delivered with wit, doodles and zero fluff. Kleon’s big idea is that nothing is completely original, so stop waiting for lightning and start building on what you already love. It is a jolt of permission for anyone who has been sitting on an idea, and you can read it in one sitting.

Spare, luminous and quietly devastating, this little novel follows an Irish coal merchant who stumbles onto something he cannot un-see. Keegan does more in 128 pages than most authors manage in 500, and the ending will stop you cold. At its heart it is a story about one ordinary man choosing to do the right thing when it costs him something.

Two stories, decades apart, braided together into one unforgettable read about survival, hope and clean water. Park (one of my favorite authors) writes with such restraint that the payoff at the end absolutely lands. This one is a favorite in classrooms for good reason – it shows teens exactly what perseverance and service look like.

Nine working-class kids from the American West row their way to the 1936 Olympics, and you will find yourself cheering out loud. This adaptation keeps all the grit and heart of the original while trimming it to a size teens will actually finish. It is teamwork, hard work and belonging – exactly the kind of story I wish more young adult shelves carried.

A wide receiver drafted by the Detroit Lions blows out his hamstring, pivots to engineering and ends up floating aboard the International Space Station. Really? Unbelievable! Melvin tells his story with humor and humility, and the do-it-yourself experiments in the back are a nice bonus for curious kids. This is the rare tweener book that treats a closed door as the start of the story rather than the end of it.

Jerome collects words the way other kids collect rocks or baseball cards, and discovers the magic really happens when he gives them away. Reynolds pairs joyful illustrations with a message about generosity and language that lands for kids and grown-ups alike. Perfect for the start of a school year.

A bear cub finds a battered piano in the forest, teaches himself to play and eventually trades the woods for sold-out concert halls in the city. Litchfield’s glowing illustrations are worth the price by themselves, and the ending about coming home caught me completely off guard. Lovely for young readers, and a surprisingly good gift for a graduate or anyone chasing a dream.

CJ and his grandmother ride the bus across town, and she gently teaches him to see beauty everywhere he looks. This one won the Newbery Medal, and Christian Robinson’s artwork is as warm as the story. A tender reminder that gratitude is something we teach by example.