The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Westbury

THE OXFORD GUIDE TO SCANDAL AND LIES by Kate Westbury is a wonderful historical and cozy mystery debut set in the early 1950s.  The main characters are very different from each other: Ginevra Bishop (estranged daughter of a viscount and former debutante, trying to find purpose) and Sidney Braithwaite (former soldier, recovering from wartime emotional trauma) although they are both students at Oxford. It is at the university that they witness the death of a beloved librarian and are recruited by the security services (Rook is their handler) to investigate further. The handful of suspects (both professors and students) provides multiple scenarios for the dual to unravel, all while fighting a romantic attraction.  Westbury’s THE OXFORD GUIDE TO SCANDAL AND LIES was a LibraryReads selection, a September 2026 Indie Next Pick and received a starred review form BookPage (“The chemistry is delightful, the setting is academia personified and the story itself encourages propulsive page-turning―a heck of a debut novel indeed”). Enjoy!

Golden Boy by A. J. Symon

GOLDEN BOY by A. J. Symon is a young adult novel with a strange supposition. It has a wonderful cover which mirrors the story of a dog (Hudson) being turned into a high school boy (Bud Golden). Emma Branch is a lonely high school student who ended up taking care of her brothers (Chip and Buckhead – who act like their names) and her rather obnoxious, opinionated, and prejudiced father, Wayman, after her mother dies. Emma’s dream is to study science, and she has developed an injection to prolong the life of fruit flies. No one is really interested, though, until in desperation she injects her dog. Suddenly there’s a star player for the football team that Wayman coaches, and the adventure (filled with deception) begins. There is some suspense and high school relationship drama which could appeal to readers. As all gets resolved, the author is not afraid of explicitly highlighting the value of scientific experimentation (“Flying machines. The telephone. Landing on the moon. All crazy ideas until they weren't. Magic is just science no one can explain yet.”) and quality parenting (“It's amazing what a kind word from a parent will do.”). Thankfully, the father character does mature, but it’s not a subtle transformation. School Library Journal (starred review) and Booklist suggest GOLDEN BOY for grades 6 thru 10, and these less mature students may appreciate the hijinks, although the animal experimentation could be triggering for some. I am more apt to agree with Kirkus: “An interesting premise that suffers from clumsy execution.”

The Digital Delusion by Jared Cooney Horvath

THE DIGITAL DELUSION by Jared Cooney Horvath discusses “How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning--and How to Help Them Thrive Again.” Horvath, a neuroscientist and educator who specializes in human learning and brain development, has certainly produced a thought-provoking text. He divides it into three sections: defining the problem (including a chapter which looks at the impact on attention, empathy, and transfer of knowledge); a deeper dive into the use of cellphones and artificial intelligence; and an action-oriented section on how to push back. Some of his most interesting comments concern discrepancies between commonly held beliefs and what research shows. For example, he notes that, “although EdTech is frequently promoted as a tool for equity, evidence suggests it most often benefits students who already possess strong knowledge and self-regulation skills. As a result, digital technology tends to amplify existing inequalities rather than eliminate them.” And, in an interview earlier this year with American Enterprise Institute, Horvath explained that high international test scores do not necessarily correlate with tech use, saying, “the countries that use technology the least in schools in the world are Japan, China, Malaysia, and Singapore.” He continues, “[their] rich digital infrastructure is for adults producing work, not kids learning how to become adults.” He repeatedly probes the difference between knowing something and merely knowing where to find it, writing, “human beings think in stories. … digital technologies largely kill sustained narrative. They flood us with disconnected, context free fragments … with no coherent thread linking one idea to the next. This consistent stream of randomness doesn't just weaken memory, it also disrupts comprehension, deep thinking, and the ability to build usable knowledge.” THE DIGITAL DELUSION offers much to contemplate in what Publishers Weekly calls an “intriguing if flawed treatise … sure to spark plenty of conversation.” References and Appendices accounted for approximately half of the preview copy I received.

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY is the latest novel by award-winning author Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kitteridge, My Name is Lucy Barton, and more). Once again, Strout offers readers insight into the thoughts and feelings of a “regular” person: in this case, fifty-seven-year-old Artie Dam who is married to Evie with one son, Rob and teaches high school history classes where he impacts the lives of students like Danny Marino and Rhonda Lazarre. Strout writes, “all of us live with a huge blind spot before our eyes, meaning that no matter what we think we know we can never fully understand how we appear to others.” This is a bittersweet story which explores themes of loneliness, sadness, compassion, perspective, inter-connectedness, and, overall, the secrets we keep. There are several upheavals in Artie’s life and one in particular leaves him feeling “as though he had lived these many years looking at things from one angle, and now it was as though someone had turned him partly in a different direction and everything - everything - looked different.” Both melancholy and hopeful (“it was a private thing to be alive”), THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY received a starred review from Booklist.

Does My Child Need Me to Lead or to Follow?

DOES MY CHILD NEED ME TO LEAD OR TO FOLLOW? by Claudia Schwarzlmüller is an international best-seller which covers “A Radically Simple Way to Parent Children from Infancy Through Age 6.” Schwarzlmüller is a child psychologist with over twenty years of experience. Her tone is wonderful – calm, compassionate, nonjudgmental, and definitely striving to represent the child’s viewpoint. For example, in the Your Toddler section, she describes behavior which is SO familiar (e.g., a toddler “loves taking things out and putting them away”… and “needs to repeat behaviors many times in order to learn … repetition is the name of the game”). She discusses thinking and playing (when a child “learns about objects by putting them in his mouth, banging them against something else, studying, turning, rubbing, or throwing them”), as well as feelings and relationships, movement, and speech. To me (a relatively new grandmother), the insights Schwarzlmüller offers are spot-on, valuable and actionable (e.g., she lists a series of play schemas and what your child learns from practice like Positioning (a sense of length, height, distance), Transforming, Connecting, Enveloping, Transporting, Dividing/Scattering (geometry/math, quantity, shapes, volume), Sorting, Filling, and Orientation). She writes about allowing your child to lead (“give them the freedom to try things out and as much free time to play as possible”), but also notes, “Children need to find their bearings and to feel safe. You are the missing partner in this social dance if you don't assume your role in moments of leading. Your child is searching for balance between moments of leading and moments of play, just like the rest of us.” Additional parts of the book deal with Your Baby, From Toddler to Preschooler, From Preschooler to Kindergartener to First Grader, plus introductory material, a list of references, and further reading suggestions. Publishers Weekly called this text “a valuable resource for parents of young children [in which] research-based insight meets practical guidance.” I heartily concur and I am highly recommending DOES MY CHILD NEED ME TO LEAD OR TO FOLLOW?

THE MIXED + MULTIRACIAL GUIDE TO WELLBEING by Namalee Bolle is subtitled “Navigating Family, Identity + Healing.” Bolle divides the text into three parts: Unpack, Discover and Thrive. She describes her own history (British born of Sri-Lankan and Dutch-Jewish heritage) and that of other multi-racial people as she encourages readers to reflect on their unique situations. It felt at points as though this text was more about therapy-type exercises and less about actual research findings (of which there may not be many). However, I did gain insights from reading about children who are multiracial – as she says, they are racially different to both parents. That may seem obvious, but it is worth pausing and contemplating that idea along with how difficult it is for all of us to find our identities as adolescents and how these children must learn to recognize/accept that “I am this and this and that.” I plan to look into the children’s books that she recommended (e.g., The Truth about Dragons) and also to watch 1000% Me, an HBO/Max documentary. Overall, an interesting starting point for more discussion and research.

I'll Make Me a World by Jarvis R. Givens

I'LL MAKE ME A WORLD by Jarvis R. Givens received a starred review from Library Journal and was the notable non-fiction LibraryReads selection for February. This text contains four essays and purports to share “The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month.” There is a great deal of history, including multiple images, and many stories related to figures critical to both the creation and the commemoration of Black History Week in 1926 and then Black History Month in 1976. However, the overall tone is quite scholarly and academic which could unnecessarily restrict readership. Givens is a Professor of Education and African and African American Studies and the co-founding faculty director of the Black Teacher Archive at Harvard University. He freely shares his personal experiences as a student and as a mentor. That personal history was quite interesting as well as the many more widely recognized historical anecdotes which he included. Givens feels passionately about this subject and that was evident in his research (Notes comprise about ten percent of this text and a detailed Index is included). Crafting an “abridged” version for high school students would be worth pursuing. 

The Cradle of Citizenship by James Traub

THE CRADLE OF CITIZENSHIP by James Traub is subtitled “How Schools Can Help Save Our Democracy” and Traub spent over a year visiting schools around the country. He rightly notes that “we no longer have common criteria for truth” and “we have very few civic levers other that school left to pull.” In general, however, I honestly found the arguments in this text difficult to interpret. Traub has a view, but he buries it in so much talk about standards and classroom experience that it was difficult for me (a former teacher) to summarize. I did find it interesting that the Wall Street Journal (strong pro-charter school stance) published both an excerpt (promoting classical education) and a review by Meghan Cox Gurdon. She seems to believe that Traub was too progressive in his approach, but I found him to be negative towards standards and teaching pedagogy. It is disquieting to think about the divergence (both in content knowledge and methodology) between teachers from different generations and the likely impact on students. Although I had hoped to purchase THE CRADLE OF CITIZENSHIP and to encourage our Social Studies Department teachers to read this text, I am hesitant to do so after struggling with the preview. Traub did make me think and he encouraged me to look at the bipartisan effort named Educating for American Democracy and their Roadmap. He clearly cares about America and its citizens.

Writing Creativity and Soul by Sue Monk Kidd

WRITING CREATIVITY AND SOUL by Sue Monk Kidd is, according to the author, “Part memoir, part guidebook, and part reflection on the writing life.” She begins by quoting Maya Angelou about “Three things you need in order to write. First, you need something to say. Second, you need the ability to say it. Finally, you need the courage to say it at all.” Later sections of the book talk about playing with images, possible beginnings of a story, and references a Zen adage: “In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; In the expert's mind there are few.” I also liked the chapter where Monk Kidd wrote about character development (“Love them, empathize with them, participate deeply in their inner lives.”) and four questions that she asks: Who is my Character? (followed by many sub-questions about her relationships, likes and dislikes, emotions). What does my Character want? Who and what thwarts my Character? How will my Character be different in the end? As Monk Kidd develops these ideas, she gives examples from her writing, such as Lily from The Secret Life of Bees or Ana from The Book of Longings; readers will have a richer experience if they have read her other works. I agree with her assessment that this text is more memoir and reflection than it is a manual for new writers, but it is interesting to share in her comments about the writing process which she has honed over decades.

Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-reum

EVERY DAY I READ by Hwang Bo-reum contains a series of essays which describe “53 Ways to Get Closer to Books.” There is room for disagreement (the author even advocates both Read Bestsellers and Read Beyond Bestsellers). Throughout, there are many, many suggestions of book titles and authors and I found myself highlighting several to consider, although some are not as readily available here as they would be in Asia. I also highlighted and starred several passages; here are just a few: “by insisting on finishing a book you no longer want to read, you're taking time away from the books you're truly interested in.” OR “We change as we read books. We just don't realize it. And this change may have an impact on the course of our lives.” Publishers Weekly reviewed EVERY DAY I READ and concluded, “Dedicated bibliophiles and casual readers alike will adore this.” I concur. So do the voters at LibraryReads: EVERY DAY I READ was a December 2025 selection.

As a related aside, The New York Times just published an article called, “Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class.” It refers to a forthcoming study by Jonna Perrillo and Andrew Newman; Uncensored will be published in March, 2026.

The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton

THE LOST STORY OF EVA FUENTES by Chanel Cleeton is one of my favorite reads of the year so far. The story takes place in three distinct time periods: 1900 when Eva, a Cuban school teacher, travels on an exchange program to the United States; 1966, when librarian Pilar and her husband, Enrique, struggle with the changes and oppression of the Cuban revolution; and 2024 when Margo and her ex-husband Luke combine efforts to locate a missing book originally written by Eva. Cleeton does a good job of evoking the characters and their respective time periods, but I would have liked to have learned even more. The mystery involving the lost story and a violent murder were well done with a twist at the end. But the aspect which I truly enjoyed was the way in which Cleeton repeatedly spoke to her readers about lost love, emotions like grief, and about the value of books and stories. She writes, “If the roles had been reversed, if something had happened to her, Enrique would have taken solace in the company of others. She took hers in the cocoon she placed around herself that kept the world at bay” … “Fear and anger wound their way through her like twin snakes, and in her grief, she did the only thing she knew to do. She read.” Another example: “The reader was promised the possibility of sinking into another world, of escaping their problems, the weight of life subsiding for minutes, hours, days at a time. They were promised a story, a fiction, a sleight of hand, a shuffling of letters that altered reality. And yet, in that make believe world the reader looked for truth - for the words on the page to resonate, for the characters in the scene to make them feel seen, for a thread that they could hold on to, for the book to sink its hooks into them and carry them on an unforgettable adventure.” 

Two Perspectives: The AI Con & AI for Life

THE AI CON by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna offers a unique perspective on “How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want.” In fact, Kirkus describes this book as “a refreshingly contrarian take on AI” and includes it in a list of “5 Essential New Books That Challenge Big Tech” (Careless People, on my TBR pile, is also included). Bender is a Linguistics professor at the University of Washington and Hanna, a former member of the ethical AI team at Google, is now Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR); both have been critical about promises made and potential societal impact of AI. They have crafted this book with the following goal: “preventing harm from AI hype. [They believe] When people can spot AI hype, they make better decisions about how and when to use automation, and they are in a better position to advocate for policies to constrain the use of automation by others.” Bender and Hanna raise issues such as surveillance (including facial recognition often coupled with biased algorithms) or devaluing creativity, and they point to the importance of more discussion and evaluation. They focus on the application of automation in the areas of decision-making, classification, recommendation, transcription/translation, and text/image generation. Bender and Hanna provide an entire chapter containing questions which “we can each ask, whenever we are in a position to make decisions about automation or influence others who are doing so.” Prompting more thoughtful consideration, they certainly ignited my desire to investigate further with sources such as The Conversation, Journalist’s Resource, CNET’s ai atlas, and think tanks like Brookings Institution or reports from CQ Researcher (citing AI Now Institute, Center for Democracy & Technology, MIT, Pew Research Center, and The Stanford Institute for Human Centered AI, as just a few examples).  As an aide to critical thinking and accountability, roughly a third of their text is devoted to notes and an index. Interested readers may also want to explore their podcast: Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000.

In contrast, AI FOR LIFE by Celia Quillian offers “100+ Ways to Use Artificial Intelligence to Make Your Life Easier, More Productive…and More Fun!” PC Magazine recently interviewed the author and begins by quoting her: “Approach AI with curiosity, not fear.” Quillan, who has been featured as a commentator on AI by several business publications, begins by discussing “getting started with generative AI” and then offers numerous helpful suggestions (e.g., “explain it to me like I’m 12” or “ask me 10 questions to better guide your response”) in a chapter titled “Prompting 101.” From there, she delves into using AI and devotes a chapter to each of the following areas: Home Life; Food, Health, and Wellness; Career Development; Personal Finance; Personal Growth and Learning; Relationships; Travel; and Fun and Entertainment. Using travel as an example, readers will find a series of helpful suggestions for personalizing destination ideas (e.g., What is the best time of year to travel? What are some must-do activities? What is the estimated cost per person?), planning road trips, and exploring local cuisine. This should help users new to AI because her prompts are often quite instructive and specific, like this one: “Could you identify 10 upcoming events or performances in and around Philadelphia's music, arts, or nightlights scenes in May 2025? Make note of the date they are happening and provide a brief description of the event.” Packing tips, local etiquette, and translation are other topics she explores in that travel chapter. My teaching experience has reinforced the view that people learn best when they are pursuing a task relevant to them – Quillian highlights numerous ways to experiment with AI in a personally meaningful way. Although her text is not up-to-the minute (e.g., no reference to Deepseek), she does provide information on several models and AI FOR LIFE should propel readers to a better understanding of the benefits and limitations of AI.

This important topic was just addressed in an Atlantic article, “What Happens When People Don’t Understand How AI Works?” by Tyler Austin Harper. Coming full circle, he references Bender and Hanna, expresses concern about the industry’s “tradition of anthropomorphizing,” and argues that large language models “do not think and feel but instead mimic and mirror.” And laments further about “minimizing attention spans, literacy, and social cohesion.” Much to reflect upon and consider. 

Hello, Cruel World! by Melinda Wenner Moyer

HELLO, CRUEL WORLD! by Melinda Wenner Moyer offers “Science-Based Strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times.” In ten chapters Wenner Moyer, a contributing editor at Scientific American and a regular contributor to The New York Times, looks at Coping, Connecting, and Cultivating, all presented in a conversational, non-judgmental and helpful way. Adam Grant writes, “[Moyer’s] book is packed with evidence-based, nonobvious practical advice for nurturing resilience, kindness, critical thinking, and well-being.” I certainly saw the critical thinking aspect in the entire chapter devoted to Information Literacy which is full of ideas (including discussion prompts), plus some organizations (Thinking is Power, Reboot Foundation, etc.) that I did not know as well as skills (e.g., lateral reading) school librarians have been talking about for years. Other chapters cover self-compassion, resilience, self-control, relaxing, empathy, friendships, curiosity/inclusion, plus financial and information literacy and managing social media. HELLO, CRUEL WORLD! is a text which parents – and educators – should consult and discuss. At the end of each chapter there is a summary of key points, and the author also includes 300+ citations in a separate section. As Wenner Moyer says, much of her writing is about “being intentional about our choices and the kinds of conversations we have with our kids. … I implore you to take the advice that feels like it will be a good fit and leave the rest.”  

Lessons from My Teachers by Sarah Ruhl

LESSONS FROM MY TEACHERS by Sarah Ruhl contains numerous essays which provide a memoir of sorts covering the period “From Preschool to the Present.” Ruhl, a prolific, talented writer and playwright, has been honored as a MacArthur genius, as a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, and with nominations for Tony Awards. Here, she reflects on the importance of teachers, citing those who impacted her, but also on the “teachable moments” that exist in all our lives. For example, Ruhl describes a conversation with theater students who stressed that “theater class was when they could feel and practice presence, that elixir of life; That well of possibility.” Ruhl goes on to comment on the use of phones, saying, “the more technological tools we have, the more presence seems just out of reach.” This insightful collection will prompt much discussion, especially amongst educators & those who value learning and the arts.  

A Dangerous Idea by Debbie Levy

A DANGEROUS IDEA by Debbie Levy is subtitled “The Scopes Trial, The Original Fight over Science in Schools” and has been mentioned on this blog previously. It covers a very relevant topic, not only due to the centenary nature of the events it describes, but also because of the contemporary debates related to science (e.g., vaccine efficacy) and book banning. Levy, a best-selling writer of books for young people, vividly transports readers to the 1920s through her words and visuals like images of the high school textbook, Civic Biology, that helped spark the lawsuit from ACLU. She begins by describing how local leaders in Dayton, Ohio encouraged the trial so as to promote visits and spur the local economy. Of course, she also focuses on the backgrounds of the two prominent lawyers, William Jennings Bryan (multiple times Presidential candidate) and Clarence Darrow, and on the trial, its media coverage, and the religious fervor – once again, so many parallels to today. Levy spoke about the book with School Library Journal, saying “What made this book fun to write—and I hope will make it fun to read and maybe to teach, or at least to talk about—is it’s full of surprises.” One I spotted: the court case began with a prayer at the invitation of the presiding judge. A DANGEROUS IDEA received multiple starred reviews, including ones from Booklist, Horn Book, School Library Journal and Shelf Awareness. The text is extensively researched - Levy includes a helpful timeline, source notes, and selected bibliography; together they comprise roughly twenty percent of the text. Interested readers (especially middle and high school students) may also want to read a fictionalized account related to the Scopes Trial featured in Monkey Town (2006) from Ronald Kidd. Some adult titles include the play (later a movie) Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and recent non-fiction Keeping the Faith by Brenda Wineapple.  

The Disengaged Teen by Anderson and Winthrop

THE DISENGAGED TEEN is a newly released work by Jenny Anderson, an award-winning journalist who reports on the science of learning, and Rebecca Winthrop, the director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Their book is directed to both parents and educators and is subtitled “Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better.” We all know that especially since COVID students have had a more difficult time re-acclimating to a school setting and staying motivated and engaged. The authors also observed this situation in their own families and conducted extensive research – both qualitative and quantitative - prior to writing this text. Part I describes the four patterns of behavior they found: Passenger (tending to coast along); Achiever (focusing on grades and other external rewards, perfectionist); Resister (refusing to do participate); and Explorer (following interests and building necessary skills). Anderson and Winthrop caution against applying these labels to individual students, arguing instead that the behaviors are fluid. Part II of the book is an “engagement toolkit” with stories, exercises, and ideas so that adults can help to spark student learning and to make the distance between school and life be seen as less of a “chasm.” The authors point out that “resilient learners are not strong; they are flexible.” Anderson and Winthrop recently contributed a guest essay to The New York Times where they note: “Many recent graduates aren’t able to set targets, take initiative, figure things out and deal with setbacks — because in school and at home they were too rarely afforded any agency.” I also attended a recent one hour Family Action Network session where Charles Duhigg (Supercommunicators) posed some excellent questions while interviewing these authors about THE DISENGAGED TEEN. Due to the emotions involved, this may be a difficult book for parents to digest, but it is likely to be thought-provoking and worthwhile. 

Meet the Dyslexia Club! by Margaret Rooke

MEET THE DYSLEXIA CLUB! by Margaret Rooke (Dyslexia is My SuperPower) features stories from children talking about their feelings and experiences with dyslexia as well as their special talents. Some examples include Jessica who plays football/soccer or Ajay who loves to bake cakes. These stories often touch on relationships at school and learning accommodations; each ends with a thought about how grown-ups can help (e.g., letting us do more of what we like best at school) and what the child does best (e.g., coding and solving puzzles). This would be an inspiring and very comforting book for elementary school students and even their parents and teachers. In addition to the stories, Rooke provides suggestions on where to go for help, and she also has checklists filled with many ideas for ways that grown-ups can help at home or at school. She defines several terms and provides links (many UK-based) to relevant websites (all new readers will enjoy Reading Rockets) and related books, including (for adults) The Dyslexia Advantage. Tim Stringer has provided colorful, cheerful illustrations which add to the charm of this text. MEET THE DYSLEXIA CLUB! Is a small book – only about 80 pages – but it is packed with useful information.