Author: Alisha Helms

Stoked for This: September 2025

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A TWENTY-ONE (yes 2-1) item list coming your way with amazing titles being released in September. We’ve got a pull as your heartstrings novel about people’s relationships with dogs, a little pocket bear who’s the unofficial mayor of a home for refurbish plush toys, a novel and a nonfiction book written by Indigenous authors, there’s werewolves, there’s witches, there’s time travel portals, we’ve also got a travelogue of one’s author’s favorite cemeteries.

If you can’t find one thing on this list that sounds good – what are we missing??

September 2, 2025

From the best selling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed (aka one of my favorite Indigenous authors) comes a new young adult about a foster teen claiming her heritage on her own terms.

Sisters in the Wind

By: Angeline Boulley

A middle grade book that’s sure to rip my heart out about the powerful relationship that can happen between dogs and humans.

Forever Ripley

By: McCall Hoyle

A young adult book about the only survivor of a massacre twelve years ago, who is now being hunted by urban legend cultists who believe that on her 17th birthday, she’ll open a portal to hell and user in the apocalypse.

The Deep Well

By: Laura Creedle

A novella (128 pages), where scholars must construct an ancient city from scratch to please their new dictator, Gyges, who needs the justification for his next invasion.

Making History

By: K.J. Parker

September 9, 2025

A book I kept religiously checking for ARCs for online because it’s not only by one of my favorite children’s authors (Katherine Applegate), but it’s also about a Pocket Bear from WWI who serves as the unofficial mayor of Second Changes Home for the Tossed and Treasured – where stuffed toys are refurbished and given a fresh opportunity to be loved.

Pocket Bear

By: Katherine Applegate

A fantasy (with some horror) book where paintings hold curses and powers.

The Macabre

By: Kosoko Jackson

A middle grade novel about three generations of Black girls connected through a wormhole in their school locker.

Candace, the Universe, and Everything

By: Sherri L. Smith

September 16, 2025

A new take on werewolves anybody?

American Werewolves

By: Emily Jane

A look into works of history, science, memoir, and fiction written by Indigenous authors.

Bad Indians Book Club: Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds

By: Patty Krawec

A novel with institutional menace with triple boys who only want to sent to the Big House in Margate.

The Book of Guilt

By: Catherine Chidgey

A young adult novel about the longing to be loved while living with a mind that tells you otherwise.

The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar

By: Sonora Reyes

When the lights come back, the king is dead – murdered with the princess’s knife, in a weak spot only his guards know of, and dipped with venom from one of the beast tamer’s monsters – the unlikely group in his chambers make a pack to not tell a soul the king is dead until the treaty is signed. But then a winter storm seals everyone inside and the person who killed the king, begins killed off guests one by one…

I Killed the King

By: Rebecca Mix & Andrea Hannah

September 23, 2025

It’s the sequel to “Book of Night”!! Charlie is good enough to steal a shadow, but is she good enough to steal a heart?

Thief of Night

By: Holly Black

A companion piece to another of my favorite books, “My Father, the Panda Killer”, told in dual POV that follows a teenage son searching for information about his absent mother, and the mother as she struggles with grief and longing and the battle of the decision to leave her children.

My Mother, the Mermaid Chaser

By: Jamie Jo Hoang

Okay, I’m just going to give the pitch of “Twilight” meets “Teen Wolf” and let y’all decide 🙂

Moonsick

By: Tom O’Donnell

September 30, 2025

Oh, just a history about how the patriarchy used the accusation of witchcraft to both weaponized fear and silence women.

How to Kill a Witch: A Guide for the Patriarchy

By: Zoe Venditozzi & Claire Mitchell

A graphic memoir about the author’s father’s life during the Cuban Revolution and his family’s escape to America.

How to Say Goodbye in Cuban

By: Daniel Miyares

A travelogue about the author’s favorite cemeteries around the world… a grave-a-logue.

Somebody is Walking on Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys

By: Mariana Enriquez

Oh, this a deeply researched novella (144 pages) that’s based on a series of real witchcraft trials that took place in Northern Jutland in the seventeenth century.

The Wax Child

By: Olga Ravn

A YA about lost sisters, female rage, and the drive to find out the secrets in order to survive.

Seven for a Secret

By: Mary E. Roach

Another novella (176 pages) about two daughters of opposing clans falling in love and how they want to be together, but also to be loyal to their clans.

Fate’s Bane

By: C.L. Clark

Feral (Volume 3): Nine Lives / Tony Fleecs (Writer), Trish Forstner (Illustrator), Tone Rodriguez (Illustrator), Brad Simpson (Colorist)

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Feral (Volume 3): Nine Lives
By: Tony Fleecs (Writer), Trish Forstner (Illustrator), Tone Rodriguez (Illustrator), Brad Simpson (Colorist)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror
Number of Pages: 136
Published: August 6, 2025
Publisher: Image Comics
Dates Read: August 18, 2025 - August 19, 2025
Format: Library Book / eBook

After their narrow escape from the lady, Elsie and the indoor cats are saved by a new duo, who bring them to the challenge of getting into the abandoned pet supply store. But once inside, their world gets even more hellish than before.

So we’re definitely getting Walking Dead vibes with the constantly moving, feeling safe for all of five seconds, and then something bad happens. I would love to see this change or for it to get shaken up in some way in future issues.

I’m quite curious to see how exactly the disease is transferred, because they talk about it a bit and it was different than I thought it would be.

I am rooting for Elsie because I’m mostly tired of everything bad happening because of her – it’s not always her fault (cough, cough Lord)… also, she’s trying okay. Sometimes not the smartest decision, but still!

Overall, this still ended on a crazy cliffhanger and I’m upset I’ve got to wait!!

The Little Ghost Quilt’s Winter Surprise / Riel Nason, Byron Eggenschwiler (Illustrator)

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The Little Ghost Quilt’s Winter Surprise
By: Riel Nason, Byron Eggenschwiler (Illustrator)
Genre: Children’s
Number of Pages: 48 
Published: August 26, 2025
Publisher: Tundra Books
Dates Read: August 18, 2025
Format: ARC / eBook

Little ghost quilt loves being out in the cold, with the thickness of his patches, he doesn’t overheat – especially when it starts snowing. But his friends, who are sheets, get too cold and freeze in the winter weather and have to stay inside. Little ghost quilt doesn’t mind drifting around on his own, but sometimes he does miss his friends.

One day, little ghost quilt sees something bright and sparkling in town. Upon further investigation, he sees people are putting up twinkling lights and warm festivities are in the air – it’s almost like Halloween, but with snowmen instead of pumpkins, and presents instead of buckets of candy. He is filled with excitement, but he really wants his friends to see.

On his way home, little ghost quilt gets caught in a blizzard and after getting snagged in a tree, he is struck by inspiration.

I went into this children’s book, not having read the first book but was immediately caught by the illustration on the cover.

It’s such a cute book about something that’s typically meant for Halloween, finding out about Christmas. As someone who tends to keep Halloween decorations up year around anyway, this just makes me smile even more. What’s more is that little ghost quilt shows a lot of empathy for his friends and thinking creatively on how to share something new for them.

Overall, this is an adorable book for children about the joys of winter festivities that I think adults would also enjoy for the cute illustrations.

*Thank you Tundra Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Gato Taco: A Hilarious, Rhyming, Spanish-Sprinkled Children’s Book / Didi Dragon, Lenaska Ti (Illustrator)

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The Gato Taco
By: Didi Dragon, Lenaska Ti (Illustrator)
Genre: Children’s
Number of Pages: 36
Published: November 28, 2024
Publisher: Aha! Press
Dates Read: August 10, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

When Gato the cat smells a taco, he’ll do anything to get a bite, even with the muchacho telling him “Tacos are NOT for gatos!”

Do I have any children?

No.

Did I put a request in for my library to purchase this title after seeing the title alone in a presentation?

Yes.

Have I now had nearly all of my librarian coworkers read it?

Also yes.

This is just super cute and funny with the mixing of Spanish words with the English words, I definitely came away from this having learned new Spanish words.

Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi (Volume 4) / Yuri Sonoda

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Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi (Volume 4)
By: Yuri Sonoda
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 160
Published: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Seven Seas
Dates Read: August 9, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback

The street cats get moved to a larger room where they meet two kittens and an older senior cat. As the care for the felines continues, so does the readers’ understanding of everyone’s past, including Yasuo and his love for cats.

I absolutely love learning more and more about our beloved characters as we get further and further into this series. We learn about Yasuo and his past and his first cat love. We also see Hachi getting more and more comfortable with humans. I also love his patience with the kittens – like, he’s still annoyed with them, but he doesn’t really take offense to their young craziness.

Oh, I learned a bit more about baby kittens (and their poop) than I did before, so there’s that.

Overall, another cute and adorable volume of this series. Cat lovers will still enjoy it.

At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom / Erin Entrada Kelly, Ferdelle Capistrano (Narrator)

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At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom
By: Erin Entrada Kelly, Ferdelle Capistrano (Narrator)
Genre: Middle Grade, Nonfiction
Number of Pages: 208
Published: May 6, 2025
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Dates Read: August 8, 2025
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

In this novel, you learn about Josefina “Joey” Guerrero, a guerrilla fighter, a spy, a Medal of Freedom recipient, Hansen’s disease survivor, teacher, and peacemaker. Told with historical photos as well as key themes and moments in history, readers will learn about a piece of WWII that many probably haven’t heard about.

Learning (yet again) something new in 2025 about WWII. I wasn’t too familiar with the Philippines in WWII, so I absolutely hadn’t heard of Joey Guerrero, but I adore Erin Entrada Kelly’s writing and once I saw she was writing a nonfiction about someone, I knew it was important that I knew who Joey was.

What a remarkable woman Joey was. She never let anything stop her, or slow her down. Her life wasn’t picture perfect, but she’d accept it and keep going. She was resourceful too – knowing she wouldn’t get checked as much because of her disease. It was kind of crappy how the US treated her after everything she did (but in all honesty, it doesn’t surprise me…)

Overall, though this book is aimed at middle grade readers, I still think older readers would enjoy it. As a woman in her 30’s, I found the breakdown of information a lot more digestible than older history books.

*Thank you Greenwillow Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Into the Rapids / Ann Braden, Candace Fitzgerald (Narrator), Ann Braden (Narrator)

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Into the Rapids
By: Ann Braden, Candace Fitzgerald (Narrator)
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 176
Published: May 13, 2025
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Dates Read: August 5, 2025 - August 7, 2025
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

When a storm knocks out of the bridge in her remote mountain town, Addy and her mom are cut off from the main road. Now, Addy is worried she won’t be able to make it to the survival camp she’s been looking forward to; it’s the camp where her parents met, and where her late dad set a record for making a fire – she needs to hone her skills and honor their legacy. But now that there’s no power, the light in her mom has also seemed to turn off after being triggered by the ragging river and memoir of Addy’s dad who was killed in a similar storm years ago.

Addy and her mom have always prided themselves in being self-reliant, to the point where they’ve never bothered making friends with the neighbors. But now Addy keeps running into her classmate, Caleb, on the hill above her house where they both get cell service. Caleb’s frantic about a missing neighbor, and Addy is amazed at how well connected he is to get help. When Caleb offers to help her get to camp, can she trust him?

This was a beautifully written middle grade novel that explored the complexities of humans and human emotion. Addy’s mom essentially goes through PTSD after the storm and flash flood because her husband passed in a storm very similar. Addy realizes that what she always thought was her and her mom being independent, was actually being pretty standoffish and learns that trusting people and asking for help aren’t bad things – I loved seeing her growth throughout.

I also enjoy her friendship that blossoms with Caleb and how they both help each other. 

Overall, this middle grade novel takes readers on an action packed journey filled with survival, friendship, and personal growth that readers will easily get immersed in.

*Thank you Nancy Paulsen Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Love, Misha / Askel Aden

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Love, Misha
By: Askel Aden
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 320
Published: June 10, 2025
Publisher: First Second
Dates Read: August 4, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: misgendering, absent parent

Mom, Audrey, finally wants to spend time with Misha. She’s never around (the two don’t even live together), so this is a rare opportunity. But, Audrey still thinks of Misha as her daughter, despite Misha being very open about being nonbinary. Misha even tries to write a letter to their mom to tell her how they feel, but that’s not going great either…

When a wrong turn down a forest leads to the Realm of Spirits, the mother-child duo had no clue on how to return home and must work together to try and find their way.

So, I definitely felt the Spirited Away vibes while reading this (getting lost, accidentally entering a spirit realm, having to figure out how to get home without getting eaten), but then another reviewer mentioned A Goofy Movie and now I can totally see those connections too (parent-child with a strain relationship go on a roadtrip but everything that could go wrong does). 

The art in this graphic novel is fun and whimsical, capturing the magic of the spirit world perfectly. The brown and golden hues in the panels also give the feel of autumn and sets the tone.

Overall, this graphic novel is about growing up, acceptance, and forgiveness along the journey in a spirit realm that isn’t really meant for humans. It’s aimed at young adult readers, but I believe adult readers would also enjoy it (especially Studio Ghibli lovers).

*Thank you First Second and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi (Volume 3) / Yuri Sonoda

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Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi (Volume 3)
By: Yuri Sonoda
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 160
Published: April 15, 2025
Publisher: Seven Seas
Dates Read: August 2, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback

Stray cats Maruru and Hachi now live in the shelter where Yasuo the Catnapper works. They adjust to shelter life, but that doesn’t mean Hachi lets his guard down. They’re joined by some new (old) friends as they get a new lease on life.

Why must I get teary eyed while reading this series?! Learning Kedama’s back story was like stepping into a room full of cut onions!

I love how gentle Yasuo is with the cats and how he’s never upset with the cats, but will reevaluate and try again with a new tactic.

Overall, anyone who loves cats, will love this series; you get perspectives from both the cats and the humans in this.

Can Posters Kill?: Antisemitic Propaganda and World War II / Jerry Faivish and Kathryn Cole

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Can Posters Kill?: Antisemitic Propaganda and World War II
By: Jerry Faivish and Kathryn Cole
Genre: Nonfiction, History
Number of Pages: 100
Published: October 21, 2025
Publisher: Second Story Press
Dates Read: August 2, 2025 - August 4, 2025
Format: ARC

Can Posters Kill? takes readers through a historically visual journey of anti-Jewish media dating from 15-century paintings to the horrendous propaganda of the second World War. With each poster, the author breaks down the image on how it was used as both a political and social tool. With understanding of how it was used in the past, we can recognize and prevent it from happening again.

I’m not sure if this book is aimed at younger (teen) readers or adults, but either way, it’s a fantastic, informational read. I did read it in chunks through the three days I read it, because it’s a lot to take in, but it’s easily done as every two pages is a poster and then the explanation on the corresponding page.

It still amazes me that people didn’t look at these posters and see just how wrong everything was with it. Some of them are subtle, sure, but others literally have their hatred for Jews in big, bold lettering – and these would be posted in the middle of towns and marketplaces!

People need to see these posters; and thankfully, the author, who is a child of two Holocaust survivors, collected them and is sharing them in this collection. I know we have to understand our past, in order to (hopefully) not repeat it in our future, but so many people love to turn a blind eye to things that don’t directly involve them, or are upset and need someone to push their anger onto.

*Thank you Publishers Weekly and Second Story Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.