With wisdom, humor and compassion, in The Travelling Cat Chronicles, Hiro Arikawa tells the story of a powerful bond between a man and his cat. Satoru takes a special liking to a stray feline that shows up under his van. The creature bears a strong resemblance to Satoru's childhood pet, and one day, when he appears injured by an automobile, Satoru takes him in. After nursing the injured stray back to health, Satoru bestows the name Nana--seven in Japanese--on the white cat with tabby spots because his tail is bent like the number's Japanese character. The two bachelors grow into a comfortable living arrangement, complete with walks, mouse toys and "crunchies" to eat. But one day, Satoru sadly informs the cat he must find Nana a new home, and thus begins their journeys. The pair travels to see three friends from Satoru's past, looking for the right family to care for Nana. Along the way, Arikawa paints a portrait of courage and friendship in a stunning array of colors and patterns.

Whether cat lovers or not, readers will delight in the relationship between Satoru and Nana. Nana's cheeky thoughts add comedy to this heartwarming tale as Arikawa illustrates the difference in thinking between man and beast: "Hold on a sec. I can't let that pass. Since when did I love that awful fake mouse?" And Satoru's devotion to Nana could melt the iciest of hearts. Philip Gabriel does a stellar job of translating the beauty and emotion of The Travelling Cat Chronicles so English readers can enjoy the enchantment so much they just might purr. --Jen Forbus, freelancer

Godsend is John Wray's intriguing novel about a disaffected Californian teenager named Aden who travels with her friend Decker to the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. Aden shaves her head and disguises herself as a boy to study at a madrassa, an all-male religious school. She intends to memorize the Quran and lead a pious, Islamic life, as part of her jihad, or personal struggle, to fill the spiritual emptiness of her former life. Decker, on the other hand, is restless as soon as they arrive. Invited to cross the border into Afghanistan and join the local mujahideen, or Islamist guerrilla fighters, he jumps at the opportunity. Aden follows him, as much out of curiosity as fear for his well-being. She soon realizes that behind their pious facade, the mujahideen's version of Islam--violent, swollen with hypocrisy--bears no resemblance to the peaceful Islam she came to this part of the world to discover.

Godsend is powerful and poignant, all the more so because Wray (The Lost Time Accidents) does not spoon-feed readers tired clichés about Islam and terrorism or life along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Instead, he provides plenty of space for them to draw their own conclusions about Aden, Decker and the people they encounter. Aden remains emotionally isolated no matter how religious she becomes, and Wray reveals little of her inner life, possibly to reproduce that same feeling of isolation in the reader--reminiscent of Mohsin Hamid's unforgettable narrator in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Aden, however, is no fundamentalist, she is a frightened girl involuntarily caught up in a violent struggle with no peaceful end in sight. --Shahina Piyarali, writer and reviewer

Gina "Tinkerbell" Miyoko barely hits five feet, but her fierce attitude makes up for her tiny stature and keeps her busy as a private detective in San Francisco. Her mother (who may or may not be a Russian witch) and her father (a former SFPD detective), are very protective, constantly overloading Gina with Russian obereg and Japanese mingei as charms to protect her.

Gina may need the charms most when she gets a case far outside her usual realm of cheating spouses and deadbeat dads. Her best friend, Rose, an undercover agent for the National Park Service, is worried she's being stalked, so the NPS hires Gina to be Rose's bodyguard on a mission to break up a ring of Mayan antiquities smugglers. But plans go awry, and Rose is badly injured, forcing Gina to take Rose's place. Suddenly Gina is in Mexico, with a handsome archeologist assisting her as she cozies up to some Mexican bigwigs. She'll need every bit of her brashness and wits to outsmart the bad guys, protect the antiquities and resist Dr. Cruz Veras's allure.

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff (The Spirit Gate; The Last Jedi: Star Wars Legends) has created a fun mystery, starring a gutsy, likable heroine and a distinctive setting. The Antiquities Hunter deftly blends Mayan history and antiquities markets, as well as Russian and Japanese traditions, with motorcycles and dead bodies. Gina's mixed heritage and insatiable curiosity make her a wildly entertaining character, sure to appeal to fans of Stephanie Plum. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Tucson, Ariz.

Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman and illustrator David Polonsky teamed up to create Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation, the only graphic version of the famous diary to be authorized by the Anne Frank Foundation. The result is just as moving and powerful as the original, with illustrations that bring Anne's experiences to life.

An aspiring writer, Anne Frank captured her brief life in her famous diary, which was published posthumously by her father, honoring her wishes. Millions of people all over the world have read Anne's articulate and poignant words, describing her Jewish family's years spent hiding from the Nazis during World War II, as well as her own coming-of-age. This graphic adaptation features realistic drawings that capture the horrors of war, daily life in hiding and Anne's fantastical imaginings. Some pages tell a story in typical graphic-style frames; some are full-page drawings or compilations depicting Anne's words; others are entire diary entries reprinted verbatim from the original document.

The result is a stirring, heartbreaking and sometimes funny re-creation of Anne's experiences before the war and while in hiding. The graphic approach further accentuates the startling paradox that has made Anne's diary such a potent depiction of life during the war, juxtaposing a horrific time in history with the ordinary adolescence of a teen girl, filled with typical angst, crushes and fights with her parents. Compelling and tender, this graphic adaptation brings Anne's inspiring words to life in a new way. --Suzan L. Jackson, freelance writer and author of Book By Book blog

In A Dream Called Home, Reyna Grande continues the story of her immigration to the U.S. from Mexico, which began in her first memoir, The Distance Between Us. Having been in the States for many years, she becomes the first person in her family to attend college and fulfills her desire to become a writer. In this memoir, she shares stories of her family--particularly of her father and her Abuelita Chinta, who lived in the small town of Iguala, Mexico, her entire life--that encapsulate the isolation and longing Grande felt for a real home. She describes how she slowly found a community of fellow Hispanics in Santa Cruz, where she attended school, as well as instructors who valued her writing. She also joined a folklórico dance troupe that helped build her sense of pride in Latina heritage.

Being an immigrant was still difficult though, and she never felt completely at home. Moreover, returning to Mexico on visits, she discovered she was no longer considered a true Mexican, either. Family and friends looked at her differently, for being one of those who made it to "the other side." Grande's narrative gives readers an excellent first-person view of the struggles many immigrants face when they move to the U.S.--the difficulty of assimilating into a culture that does not readily embrace anyone who is not white. Grande's prose is poetic and expressive, and her story is timely and relevant. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer

In Titans of History, renowned historian Simon Sebag Montefiore takes on a broad project for specific reasons. As a young man, he read a brief sketch of the life of Joseph Stalin, which ultimately led to his career as a historian of Russia and the Middle East. Wanting to provide a similar experience to readers now, Montefiore (along with four sub-credited authors) has created a compilation of quick biographies of the most important people in human history. This extensive volume ranges from Rameses the Great to Osama Bin Laden, and spans numerous cultures. Many are leaders and rulers, but other notables emerge as well, such as Oscar Wilde and Anne Frank.

Reading Titans of History straight through is a bit like falling down a Wikipedia wormhole, with many of these short biographies dovetailing each other through direct connections between history's great actors or the resonance of past actions on future ones. It's not clear that Montefiore expects people to read the book straight through, though. In his introduction, the historian writes that he hopes these biographies provide entry points to further reading about their subjects and time periods. But Titans of History is remarkably successful at getting in a lot of information in a short span, and is equally impressive at not ignoring many historical figures' complicated natures. Rarely is Montefiore unequivocal, instead showing these actors as products of their time, or how they combined genius with debauchery, violence and lust for power. Montefiore clearly aims to keep the book's perspective contemporary, making sure that anyone can pick up Titans of History and have an experience similar to his own as a young man. --Noah Cruickshank, adult engagement manager, the Field Museum, Chicago, Ill.

"Girl squads" may be trending, but the concept is nothing new, argues pop-culture writer Sam Maggs (Wonder Women) in the introduction to Girl Squads: 20 Female Friendships That Changed History. She goes on to suggest that inspiration can be drawn "from historical gals who've lifted each other up and do the same in our own lives"--an idea that sets the tone for the stories of female friendship that follow throughout the rest of the book.

The girl squads included here are divided into sections: Athletes, Activists, Warriors, Scientists and Artists. Each section is then broken down into the stories of four different sets of girlfriends whose experiences range across the world (Japan and the United States, Iran and the Dominican Republic) and across time (from roughly 400 BCE to the present day). Some of these women were in direct competition (as in the case of modern-day tennis players Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens) and others worked as a team (as in the story of the Zohra Orchestra, the first all-girl musical ensemble from Afghanistan), but each and every story demonstrates how, across history, the support of women for women has changed many lives in big and small ways.

Maggs does an impressive job of condensing long periods of history into just a few pages, providing necessary historical context for the story of each squad. Despite the immense detail included, however, Girl Squads is anything but academic; Maggs writes with a sly sense of humor and irreverence that keeps the text from ever feeling dry or dull. Instead, this collection is upbeat and positive, itself a "journey of lady solidarity" bound to educate and inspire readers of any gender. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm

Author Helen Thompson and photographer Casey Dunn, the team that created Marfa Modern, offer another stunning display of Texas architecture and design with Texas Made/Texas Modern: The House and the Land. Multipage spreads of beautiful photographs depict 19 houses, inside and out, along with Thompson's discussion of their individual histories. A foreword by architect Lawrence W. Speck and Thompson's introduction put this project in perspective. Older and newer structures alike fit into a tradition that is particularly Texan, where modernism--as defined by glass, steel, load-bearing columns and open floor plans--intersects with what is special about the Lone Star State. Texas's climate, topography, local materials and culture all play a role in the design of these homes, which are as attuned to their natural settings as anything by Frank Lloyd Wright. A house in Wimberley highlights sliding doors at both ends which, opened, transform the house into "a big, happy breezeway." Another in Mill Spring showcases glass walls that open to the air, allowing residents to rely solely on natural ventilation "except in extreme conditions."

Sites range geographically across the state (with a focus on Austin, Dallas and the scenic hill country of central Texas), and there is a definite emphasis on interior design alongside architecture: at least half the photographs display indoor spaces, and captions are devoted to the designers of rugs, furniture and knick-knacks. Fans of architecture, design and Texas will appreciate this beautifully presented art book, and its insight into a singular modernist tradition. --Julia Kastner, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia

"My dear Marwan,/ in the long summers of childhood,/ when I was a boy the age you are now,/ your uncles and I/ spread our mattress on the roof/ of your grandfather's farmhouse/ outside of Homs." So begins a father's account of an idyllic childhood, followed by memories of the darker times that followed: "First came the protests./ Then the siege./ The skies spitting bombs./ Starvation./ Burials." Marwan, too, knows these dark times; after intimating that Marwan's mom is dead, his father notes, "You have learned that mothers and/ sisters and classmates can be found/ in narrow gaps between concrete,/ bricks, and exposed beams,/ little patches of sunlit skin/ shining in the dark."

In an afterword, Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, among other bestselling novels for adults, explains that Sea Prayer honors Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015 after fleeing his war-torn homeland. (All proceeds from the sale of Sea Prayer will go to the UN Refugee Agency and the Khaled Hosseini Foundation.) In the shadows of Hosseini's elegant prose poem and Dan Williams's cascading, weather-swept art stands an indictment of civic complacency during such a major refugee crisis. But the kids who are among Sea Prayer's intended readership likely won't detect politics; they'll be intrigued by the scenario before them: a large group that includes Marwan and his father is walking to the beach. When the group boards a boat and sets off in search of a safe haven, young readers may see nothing but hope. --Nell Beram, freelance writer and YA author

Seventeen-year-old Alice enters Wonderland through the Looking Glass, a "midtown Atlanta dive" bar tended by "a mousy girl" who takes "more naps than she [mixes] drinks." Once in Wonderland, Alice takes on the role of Dreamwalker: she finds and destroys Nightmares (physical manifestations of bad dreams that feed off of fear and anger) before they can cross into the human world. Lately, there have been more Nightmares than usual, and Alice learns it is because the Atlanta police shot an innocent black girl. This incident is enough to make Alice hang up her daggers for good, but before she can officially quit, she must return to the "realm of dreams" one more time to save her mentor.

Rather than completely re-imagine Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, L.L. McKinney pays homage to the classic fantasy series by including familiar elements and characters, like the Tweedles who, in this urbanized version, are "tall, teenage versions of Spike from Buffy [who] sometimes pull... dumbass pranks." McKinney's debut doesn't ignore the fact that Alice is a teenager, and a black teenager at that--meaning, as episodes in Wonderland intensify, her later nights and longer times away from home anger her mom and cause rifts in her friendships. Additionally, being best friends with a white girl presents its own set of problems, like how Alice needs to remind Courtney that instead of being "a black Buffy," she could be "just Buffy." McKinney's ability deftly to balance Alice's fantastical world of fear-slaying with the modern-day life of a black teenager is admirable. A Blade So Black is a modernized version of a well-known story that retains enough of the original to be lauded by both fans of the classic and readers wholly new to Wonderland. --Lana Barnes, freelance reviewer and proofreader