When the new principal goes missing after a contentious PTA meeting, single-mom Mavis suspects PTA President Trisha of foul play. She did see Trisha leaving the school building with bottles of bleach and dragging heavy garbage bags. "It’s Elementary" by Elise Bryant is a twisty mystery full of razor-sharp wit. A Korean best-seller, Miye Lee’s "The Dallergut Dream Department Store" features the titular store, where sleeping people can buy dreams in bottles. From the sales staff to the customers, new employee Penny observes how our dreams, even the ones that seem inconsequential, matter.

The Gilded Age had a dark underbelly, and its foremost criminal mastermind was a German-Jewish immigrant and mother of four. From her small shop in the tenements of the Lower East Side that fronted for a nation-wide network of fencing stolen goods, to the audacious 1869 burglary of New York City’s Ocean National Bank, Fredericka Mandelbaum built an empire–learn all about this notorious woman that history forgot in "The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum" by Margalit Fox. Jasmin Graham fell in love with the sea and ocean life as a child. Going on to study marine biology, she struggled in the male-dominated field of academic shark research before teaming up with other Black women to found "MISS–Minorities in Shark Sciences" to support and provide opportunities for women of color studying sharks. Her memoir, "Sharks Don’t Sink," is a heartfelt and inspiring love letter to sharks.

Every area has its own folklore, urban legends and local monsters. From La Llorona in the southwest to New Jersey's Jersey Devil, "The Haunted States of America" explores the scariest nooks and crannies in America. Fifty-two authors tackle fifty-two scary stories for middle grade readers–one for every state, plus DC and Puerto Rico.

In "The White Guy Dies First," thirteen writers of color bend common tropes (including who usually ends up as the first casualty) to deliver truly terrifying stories. Not for the faint-hearted, but teen horror fans with strong stomachs will find some new favorites in this collection.