Every story begins somewhere. On the banks of the Ya-lé River, the town of Luntien gathers to celebrate the start of the rainy season, but the celebration is marred by the arrival of refugees from the sea. Everyone has a story about the foreigners newly in their midst—lazy, violent, unwanted—while ... more >
From the Newbery Award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The One and Only Ivan and Odder comes a stunning middle grade standalone novel-in-verse about compassion, resilience, and surprising friendships, following a dog named Wombat in the aftermath of a catastrophic fire. Wombat isn’t actually a wombat—but when the ... more >
A darkly humorous yet uplifting novel about a grieving mother who starts working at a funeral home and discovers that the best way to honor the dead is to live … All Cleo Dang has ever wanted is to be a mother. The day she discovers she’s pregnant is the ... more >
It is with great sadness that we would like to tell our readers, past and present, that Robin Harders, who contributed many smart and thought-provoking reviews and op-eds to Dear Author, passed away today. Our deepest condolences to her friends and loved ones. Over the past two years, lymphedema, breast ... more >
Dear Simon Jimenez, This beautiful standalone science fiction novel was one of the novels on my “Best of 2020” list. I read it in December of 2020 and have put off reviewing for over a year because I felt hard put to do it justice. I’m finally taking the plunge ... more >
There is a ghost in my house. I’ve only seen it out of the corner of my eye, but I think it is a cat, says a little boy in this comforting tale of love and loss. There’s something oddly familiar about this ghost cat–it does lots of things that ... more >