New Release Spotlight: September 23, 2025

The incredible September 2025 Spotlight continues! I mentioned in last week’s Spotlight my theory that several award-winning books are releasing this month. I’ve marked a few more potential award winners this week.

Nearly all titles on this week’s Spotlight got either two or three starred professional reviews. This group is truly the cream-of-the-crop! With so many great titles to choose from, I had to choose my featured titles very carefully.

Once again, I’m not doing a “Top Picks” this week. If they made the list, they are all Top Picks.

The three Canva presentations for the September Spotlight will release via email on Tuesday, September 30. You can join my email list here.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Shahriar believes he was born in the wrong time. All he’s ever wanted is to love and be loved, but 1895 London doesn’t offer him the freedom to be his true self, and Oscar Wilde’s trial for gross indecency has only reaffirmed that. But one night—and one writer—will grant Shahriar what he’s always wished for: the opportunity to live in a time and place where he can love freely. Rechristened as Shams and then as Bram, he finds what feels like eternal happiness. But can anything truly be eternal?

Oliver doesn’t feel that 1920s Boston gives him a lot of options to be his full self. He knows he could only ever love another boy, but that would break his beloved mother’s heart. Oliver finds freedom and acceptance in the secret queer community at Harvard that his cousin introduces him to. When he meets a mysterious boy with eyes as warm as a flame, his life is irrevocably changed, forever.   

Spanning one hundred and thirty years of love and longing, this tale of immortal beloveds searching for their perfect place and time is a vibrant hymn to the beauty of being alive, a celebration of queer love and community, and a reminder that behind every tragic thing that ever existed, there is something exquisite.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Sadie Katz and Cleo Chapman have been rivals since birth. Literally. They entered the world competing to be the first baby born in the new year, and ever since Cleo beat out Sadie for that title, she has been nonchalantly beating Sadie at just about everything–and making it look easy.

Now in the fall of their senior year, Sadie and Cleo are neck-and-neck for valedictorian. But then a string of increasingly serious pranks take over their high school, and all signs point to Sadie and Cleo as the perpetrators.

Suddenly expulsion is on the line, and the only way to clear their names is to team up and find out who is framing them. It’s not only suspects the girls are questioning, though. Sadie’s ivy league dream isn’t feeling as appealing as it once did, and Cleo is wondering if it’s about time she start fighting for what she really wants instead of just accepting whatever comes easiest.

With their futures on the line, the two grow closer, and both begin to wonder: Could it be that Sadie and Cleo weren’t meant to be rivals at all, and were instead destined to be something more?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Seventeen-year-old Truth Bangura wants nothing more than to know a life beyond her hometown. Writing and performing is her only solace in a life overwhelmed by a drifting relationship with her best friend, an emotionally turbulent home environment, and the reality that her below average grades make her true dream―escaping her mother’s grasp after graduation―uncertain.

When Truth learns she’s pregnant by her ex-boyfriend, she makes one decision she’s finally sure about: an abortion.

Determined to move forward, Truth turns to the pages in her notebook with the support of her slam poetry team―including the poet with a voice smooth as summer jazz, who’s been catching her eye during practice.

At an open mic night, Truth finally gains the courage to perform a piece that dives into her rocky relationship with her mother–and reveals the choice she never told her. But when a video of Truth’s performance is posted online and starts going viral, her decision quickly becomes everyone’s business–including her mother’s.

Told through searing free-verse, journal entries, and interspersed fill-in-the-blank poetry prompts, Hannah V. Sawyerr’s Truth Is reminds us there is always a choice. There is always hope. And there is always a way forward.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Chi-Chi Ekeh has one huge problem: She keeps having crushes on rich white boys who have no idea she exists. Enter Flip Henderson, the most popular boy at school, who receives Chi-Chi’s private video proposal to go to senior prom.

But when Flip rejects Chi-Chi in front of their entire class, what happens next is completely unexpected: Chi-Chi―shy nerd and scholarship student―switches bodies with Flip. Suddenly Chi-Chi is 6’1” and cool, while Flip gets a crash course on Chi-Chi’s life―that is, k-pop, hair-braiding, and being a poor kid of color at a rich white private school.

With graduation looming and their body swaps lasting longer and longer, Chi-Chi and Flip must form the most unlikely friendship their school has ever seen. But will they survive senior year? And, most importantly, can they find a way back to themselves?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Lux Priddy is a regular 12-year-old: he goes to school, hangs out with his best friend, Emma, and loves to pet every dog he sees.

Except for one little thing – Lux is a vampire.

And even though vampires came out of the coffin and into the public eye before he was even born, not everyone is happy about it. So when a group called Vampirism Sucks develops a cure, most people are thrilled. Lux? Not so much.

Humans might think his life is miserable, but he’s never known anything else. And he doesn’t think he even wants to be human. After all, what makes being a human better than being a vampire?

After an epic escape out the window of a Vampirism Sucks facility, Lux finds himself in a secret underground vampire city – one filled with “bad” vampires, the kind his parents have always warned him about. But even though he’s been taught to fear them, the people of Nox Urbus are the only ones that seem to understand him.

And when the so-called cure stops being optional, Lux is forced to make a choice: go back home and submit to the treatment, or stand up and fight a corrupt system for the right to be himself.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Viola and Wilmur have been waiting for their parents for fifteen boring years in the colorless town of Caveat. Their lives are a drudge of salt, trash, pirate stories, and what-ifs . . . until one very stormy night, when Captain Cadence Chase breaks down their door.

They cut a deal with the captain: Chase can take their most prized possession, a mysterious book, but only if she takes them, too. After all, if their parents aren’t coming, Viola and Wilmur might as well have a grand adventure to find them.

Setting sail into the treacherous and beautiful world beyond Caveat, the two inseparable friends must uncover the facts behind legend—and the key to saving all of Dickerson’s Sea from obliteration—before the truth tears them apart.

Wickedly funny, deeply emotional, and sharply incisive, Scarlet Morning is a tale of love, betrayal, and the extraordinary lengths we’d go to save a world broken beyond repair.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

For twelve-year-old Evan, summertime has always meant carefree days with her family and unlimited time with her best friend, Billie. This year, with her parents on the brink of divorce, she’s staying at Billie’s summer cabin.

But Billie only seems to care about crushes these days, and to make matters worse, Evan’s mom’s health obsession has climbed to new heights. The more Evan tries to appease her mom and control her hunger, the sharper it seems to get, until it threatens to drag her under.

As Evan tries to cling to the good things in her life, a sinister presence in the woods begins to stir. Kids are scared, and adults think everyone should go home. Determined to stay, Evan starts hunting for the creature and begins to wonder—is it just her imagination, or is the monster inside her?

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

In the small town of Great Mountain, Mississippi, all eyes are on Henson Blayze, a thirteen-year-old football phenom whose talents seem almost superhuman. The predominately white townsfolk have been waiting for Henson to play high school ball, and now they’re overjoyed to finally possess an elite Black athlete of their own.

Until a horrifying incident forces Henson to speak out about injustice.
Until he says that he might not play football anymore.
Until he quickly learns he isn’t as loved by the people as he thought.

Overnight, Henson’s town is divided into two chaotic sides—those that support his decisions, and those that don’t—when all he wants is justice. Even his best friends and his father can’t see eye to eye. When he is told to play ball again or else, Henson must decide whether he was born to entertain those who may not even see him as human, or if he’s destined for a different kind of greatness.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Join maverick inventor Steve Mushin as he tackles climate change with an avalanche of mind-bending and scientifically plausible inventions to rewild cities and save the planet.

Jump into his brain as he designs habitat-printing robot birds and water-filtering sewer submarines, calculates how far compost cannons can blast seed bombs (over half a mile), brainstorms biomaterials with scientists and engineers, studies ecosystems, and develops a deadly serious plan for cities of the future. 

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Aunts, uncles, cousins, all pitch in.
Hustle, bustle in the kitchen.

Catching up, shooting the breeze,
sharing stories and recipes.

When it comes to a family feast, it’s all hands on deck! Big Ma and Pops have been up early in anticipation of everyone’s arrival. Aunts, uncles, and cousins gather from all over to help prepare their big meal.

Clanging pots, chopping vegetables, sharing recipes, and swiping little treats are part of the fun! After the cooking is done, all of the relatives come together to pray, eat, and enjoy their special moment as a family.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

If you make a call from a banana phone, who will answer? What will you talk about? Will you share secrets or ask questions? No one knows what will happen, really. This very silly story is full of the joy and wisdom that comes from making new friends from unexpected places. 

Go ahead, pick up a banana and make a call. You’ll be glad you did. 

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

One rainy morning, the Seogang Bridge hums with traffic―and in between the cars is a tiny kitten. People mutter to themselves, but no one wants to stop or slow down. The raindrops pelt the road; the cars screech and honk; the kitten mews. Finally one car pulls over…

With atmospheric art by acclaimed illustrator Myungae Lee, Late Today asks readers to choose compassion in the midst of busyness. This stirring story is perfect for cat lovers, city dwellers, and anyone who’s ever lost themselves in the rush of life.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

Four ducks are tired of their small pond and set out for an adventure in the big lake. Walking at the back, Eric isn’t sure. He’s heard there’s a monster in the lake, but his friends don’t believe a word of that old story! Eric reluctantly tags along, only to make a startling discovery and find himself in a wonderful underwater adventure.

This large-format picture book features a detailed fold-out underwater world of mechanical marvels and sea creatures. The story of a nervous duck who finds courage and the overconfidence of groups will resonate with anyone who’s nervously dipped a toe in unknown waters.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

A lyrical and astounding proclamation of unity and love, this stunning picture book serves as a reminder and a clear declaration that together, we are all part of something much greater. Courageous and bold, this final follow-up to the New York Times bestselling All Because You Matter and acclaimed We Are Here is a message of optimism: that alone we are strong, but together we are unstoppable!

Tami Charles’ powerful and rhythmic text reminds young readers of their brilliance as individuals and the immense power they hold when their voices come together as one. Breathtaking illustrations by renowned artist Bryan Collier, evoke the beauty and wonder of how we are all connected together in the world and our ability to change it for the better. Together, United is a community touchstone and a reminder that the best way to a better future is to create it together… united.