This Week’s Hot Reviews

Sphinx
Anne Garréta, trans. Emma Ramadan | Deep Vellum Publishing | 9781941920091 | April 2015
Sphinx lets us glimpse a world where one may be free to not be defined by gender, or to even evade it altogether, opening up almost infinite possibilities of identification for readers.”—Ploughshares

Zion’s Fiction: A Treasury of Israeli Speculative Literature
Sheldon Teitelbaum, Emanuel Lottem, editors| Mandel Vilar Press | 9781942134527 | September 2018
Zion’s Fiction leaves you wanting more. In their variety and unpredictability, its writers convey a sense of a dynamic and expanding genre.”—Mosaic Magazine

Things to Make and Break
May-Lan Tan | Coffee House Press | 9781566895279 | October 2018
Things to Make and Break is at once about everyone and no one in particular.”—Harvard Crimson

Mephisto’s Walz: Selected Short Stories
Sergio Pitol, trans. George Henson | Deep Vellum Publishing | 9781941920831 | November 2018
“Translating the twists and turns and folds of Sergio Pitol’s sentences must have been no easy feat, which is why George Henson deserves a medal for his work here. Henson renders Pitol’s sentences in a rich mix of formality and informality—fitting for a writer who was both a lawyer and diplomat, someone so used to exacting methods of communication.”—Literal Magazine

Holy Moly Carry Me
Erika Meitner | BOA Editions | 9781942683629 | September 2018
“There are a variety of forms, too, from sonnets to free verse. Ultimately, what carries this collection home are not its formal elements, but a real, honest, scared voice pervading the work, asking questions like: How are we so vulnerable? How do we care for each other? How can we stay safe? Meitner gives voice to the fears of the moment in this portrait of a very unsettled American time.”—Jewish Book Council

Rail
Kai Carson-Wee | BOA Editions | 9781942683582 | April 2018
“Carlson-Wee serves as an able guide to ferry readers through the lives of the homeless, those who have come untethered or been cut loose and who now gather in tent cities and hobo encampments. . . . The poems crackle with energy and vision, and understated critique comprised of irony and a keen eye for the absurdity of a fractured, often disassociated form of existence. . . . With an unflinching gaze, Carlson-Wee recognizes that grappling with the American landscape means wrestling both spirit and flesh.”—Orion Magazine

A Little Drama: Playful Activities for Young Children
Lavinia Roberts | Redleaf Press | 9781605545851
“How does a teacher move from equipping a basic dramatic play center to introducing drama as a regular classroom feature? The first step might be in choosing Lavinia Roberts and her new book as a guide. . . Ever respectful of children, Roberts guides inexperienced early childhood teachers into the unfamiliar, but rewarding, territory of classroom drama, building skills across developmental domains, engendering imagination and creativity, and supporting children as they learn self-regulation, empathy, respect and collaboration in a community of young learners.”—Texas Child Care Quarterly

Death of a Rainmaker: A Dust Bowl Mystery
Laurie Loewenstein | Akashic Books | 9781617756658 | October 2018
“Loewenstein offers vivid storytelling and a fine eye for evoking small-town life in America’s heartland.”—Reading the Past
Brat
Michael DeForge | Koyama Press | 9781927668603 | September 2018
“Michael DeForge’s wonderful new graphic novel Brat mocks both celebrity culture and performances of rebellion.”—New York Journal of Books

First We Surf, Then We Eat: Recipes From a Lifetime of Surf Travel
Jim Kempton | Prospect Park Books | 9781945551338 | September 2018
“The recipes are easy to follow, distinctive and for the most part incredibly healthy. . . . The book itself is so beautifully put together, with delicious food images and iconic surf breaks featured throughout. In every chapter, you will find places worth visiting, people worth knowing and surf worth travelling. . . . Jim’s stories are personal and without even meeting him, you are convinced by the end of the book that you’ve known him your whole life.”—Stu News Laguna

Strange Paradise: Portrait of a Marriage
Grace Schulman | Turtle Point Press | 9781885983527 | August 2018
“Schulman charts her development as a writer and editor through the seismic variations of intimacy with her spouse.” —On the Seawall

Inquiry-Based Early Learning Environments: Creating, Supporting, and Challenging
Susan Stacey | Redleaf Press | 9781605545813 | September 2018
“Examines inquiry in all its facets, including environments that support relationships, that create a culture of risk-taking in our thinking, that support teachers as well as children, that include families, that use documentation as a way of thinking about our work, and of course, the physical environment and all the objects and spaces within it . . . Impressively organized and presented.”—Midwest Book Review

Open-Ended Art for Young Children: Moving Beyond the Basics
Tracy Galuski and Mary Ellen Bardsley | Redleaf Press | 9781605545981 | October 2018
“Goes beyond the basics to highlight why the field of early childhood education advocates for open-ended art and explains how to adapt to new ways of thinking about art. . . . unreservedly recommended.” —Midwest Book Review

HOT Skills: Developing Higher-Order Thinking in Young Learners 
Steffen Saifer | Redleaf Press | 9781605545561 | June 2018
“Breaks down theory into practice so classroom teachers won’t miss an opportunity to help young learners develop logical, critical, and creative thinking skills. Exceptionally organized and thoroughly user friendly in presentation.”—Midwest Book Review

STEAM Concepts for Infants and Toddlers
Nichole A. Baumgart and Linda R. Kroll | Redleaf Press | 9781605545547 | August 2018
“A platform for educators to observe and facilitate infants and toddlers’ natural curiosities around STEAM concepts. The text discusses tangible, rich STEAM learning environments for children from birth through age two and introduces where this learning can go next as children transition into the preschool years.” —Midwest Book Review

Madame Victoria
Catherine Leroux, trans. Lazer Lederhendler | Biblioasis | 9781771962070 | November 2018
“A unique and inherently fascinating approach to narrative storytelling, and ably translated into English by Lazer Lederhendler.”—Midwest Book Review

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