December 7, 2025
Hudson’s Monarch Nursery
Hudson’s Monarch Nursery by author and educator Laurie Sharp, offers a timely and tender narrative for budding young naturalists.
About Hudson’s Monarch Nursery
A young boy’s passion for butterflies becomes a gateway to science, empathy, and conservation in Hudson’s Monarch Nursery.
Launching October 7th, 2025, through Mascot Kids!, this illustrated story with dyslexia-friendly text invites readers to follow Hudson as he raises monarch caterpillars, nurturing them through their miraculous metamorphosis into butterflies. Inspired by her decades as an early childhood educator and her love of nature, Laurie weaves scientific facts into a story brimming with wonder. The book tracks the monarch’s life cycle and family bonds, curiosity, and care for the natural world.
Engaging and developmentally appropriate, Hudson’s Monarch Nursery encourages children to become explorers, scientists, and stewards of nature.
Our Thoughts
Hudson’s Monarch Nursery is a wonderful story of discovery, compassion, and how to be a steward of this wonderful place we call home. Hudson, along with his Mother, is privileged to live near a spot where the monarch caterpillars can be found. Hudson and his Mom have a special tradition of collecting caterpillars, and I loved the agreement that the two of them have. The special agreement is that if you remove something from nature or its natural habitat then you must learn how to take care of it. What an important lesson for young children. It can be so tempting to fall in love with the beauty of nature and want to keep a piece of it for ourselves. But sometimes in doing so, we destroy this beauty and we need to make sure that we do our best to avoid this.
I loved the honesty from Hudson, who shares his own mistake in the past that ended up being fatal for a caterpillar. He even shares how he is preparing so that this doesn’t happen again. We learned so much about collecting caterpillars and even the difference between male and female monarchs. The story follows the life cycle of a monarch, from Hudson collecting the caterpillars on milkweed to the chrysalis to emerging and taking its first flight. The book also includes a glossary and fun facts at the end which helps to reinforce the learning throughout the story.
What I loved the most about this story is the pure joy that Hudson shows throughout the story of his role as being a part of something bigger than just ourselves and the important role that we play in protecting our world. It is not just a beautiful story about monarch butterflies, but passing traditions down, the circle of life and how every child can be a steward. These are such important messages for young children as they begin to learn to care for the world around them. This message comes through clear through age appropriate language, illustrations and ideas that you and your child can do at home. Hudson’s Monarch Nursery will be a well loved addition to your child’s home library.
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, B&N, and Indigo.
About the Author
Laurie Sharp is the author of picture books, Hudson’s Monarch Nursery and The Day Sweetie Pie Died. She has been an early childhood educator for more than three decades and is passionate about using storytelling to connect children with nature. Her time spent in gardens, fields, and classrooms informs her writing, which is rich with life lessons and environmental education. Laurie divides her time between her ranchette in Central Texas and her family’s lake house in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Whether she’s caring for animals or observing monarch butterflies, she finds daily inspiration in the outdoors. Visit her at lmsharpbooks.com and @lauriesharp33.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
November 24, 2025
Boy with Wings
Boy with Wings is a story of the sacrifices and freedom inherent in making one’s own special way—and of love and the miracles that give our lives meaning.
About Boy with Wings
What does it mean to be different?
When Johnny Cruel is born with strange appendages on his back in the 1930s South, the locals think he’s a devil. Determined to protect him, his mother fakes his death, and they flee. Thus begins Johnny’s yearslong struggle to find a place he belongs. From a turpentine camp of former slaves to a freak show run by a dwarf who calls herself Tiny Tot and on to the Florida capitol building, Johnny finds himself working alongside other outcasts, struggling to answer the question of his existence. Is he a horror, a wonder, or an angel? Should he hide himself to live his life? Accompanying Johnny’s journey through love, betrayal, heartbreak, and several murders, Boy with Wings is a story of the sacrifices and freedom inherent in making one’s own special way—and of love and the miracles that give our lives meaning.
You can purchase a copy of this book on Midtown Reader (signed), Amazon, B&N, Google, and Bookshop.org.
About the Author
Mark Mustian is the author of the novel The Gendarme, an international bestseller shortlisted for the Saroyan International Award for Writing and published in ten languages, and the new novel Boy With Wings, winner of the 2025 Grand Prize for Fiction from Next Generation Indie Book Awards. He’s the founder of the Word of South Festival of Literature and Music in Tallahassee, Florida, and lives in Florida and Michigan.
You can connect with him on his website, Substack, Facebook, Bluesky, and Goodreads.
Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post.
November 17, 2025
The Thieves’ Carousel
What price would you pay to undo a death? The Thieves’ Carousel is a gripping tale of ambition, sacrifice, and the haunting price of second chances.
About The Thieves Carousel
What price would you pay to undo a death?
In the shadowed streets of Aspizia, two thieves—Lyo Morandi and Jasper Bray—risk everything to rewrite the past. Haunted by the death of their friend Milo, they set their sights on a forbidden prize: a ring reputed to alter time.
To steal it, they must infiltrate the Thieves’ Carousel, a ruthless exhibition where the city’s most dangerous criminals flaunt their treasures—and fight to keep them. But as Lyo and Jasper descend deeper into the catacombs beneath Aspizia, they uncover a truth far more dangerous than they imagined: the ring’s power comes at a devastating cost.
Loyalties splinter. Betrayal lurks around every corner. Loyalties splinter. As the game turns deadly, they must ask themselves: How far will they go to rescue the past and save the future—and how much of themselves are they willing to lose?
The Thieves’ Carousel is a gripping tale of ambition, sacrifice, and the haunting price of second chances.
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and B&N.
About the Author
BRIANA CHEN is an award-winning fantasy author and repeat offender when it comes to falling headfirst into fandoms. She loves morally gray characters, unpredictable plot twists, and books that make her stare at a wall for hours afterward.
She is also a digital artist, gamer, and graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. She currently spends her time battling artist’s and writer’s block—sometimes simultaneously—and pursuing more adventures to add to her hoard of treasure.
You can connect with them on their website, Instagram and Goodreads.
Disclosure: This is a spotlight post, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.
November 12, 2025
Totally Possum
Possum just wants to dance, and she is prepared to DAZZLE! But will one moment change all of this?
About Totally Possum
Possum just wants to dance, and she is prepared to DAZZLE! After an embarrassing moment shatters her dream of performing in the school talent show, she decides to run away deep into the woods. Will she ever dance again? An early reader chapter book, Totally Possum introduces children to the world of independent reading, while addressing the prevalent emotions of adolescence. Additionally, glossaries are provided to help readers grow their understanding of performance terminology and connect to Chikashshanompa’ (the Chickasaw language).
My Thoughts
Being comfortable and confident in ourselves isn’t easy. It is a skill that takes time to develop and it can be easy to falter and be fearful. I strongly believe that these skills are so important for our little ones to learn, as it is these skills and words that will stay with them as they become adults. This provides them the courage to try new things and to embrace both our strengths and the areas that we aren’t as strong in.
I loved how this book explored how Possum wants to be themself in the beginning – they don’t want to be compared to their siblings and others. They just want to dance and be free to be who they are. But this can be scary when we make a mistake. Possum has the tools (box breathing) to try to work through some of this anxiety, but it can be daunting when something goes wrong and you feel scared and embarrassed.
Possum goes through all of these emotions and more during a performance when they freeze. Possum just cannot escape being frozen and becomes angry, sad and just unhappy and they escape to the woods. Possum goes on a special journey and discovers that this part of them (freezing) is not a weakness, but something that makes them special. After reflection and speaking with other animals, Possum realizes how truly special they are and has the courage to try again. This time Possum is able to find the courage to work through their fears and put on quite the show!
This was a wonderful early reader book for children that teaches us that what may be a perceived weakness is actually what makes us special. It is our own special power to embrace and showcase for the world to see and love.
You can pre-order a copy on Amazon.
About the Author
Trey Hays grew up in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, and has been heavily involved with theater, including productions at Murray State College in Tishomingo, East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, Tishomingo’s Way Off Broadway Players, and Ada Community Theater. He enjoys, singing, playing the Native American flute, ukulele, guitar, and leading group drumming activities. He also has a love for wildlife and enjoys spending time outdoors. He currently teaches general music at Tishomingo Elementary and believes that fostering a love of music and creative expression makes the world a better place.
About the Illustrator
Eli Corbin has been artistic from a young age. He received his certification in graphic design from Kiamichi Technology Center in Durant, Oklahoma, and enjoys spending most of his free time drawing. Little Loksi is Eli’s debut into the world of book illustration.
Disclosure: I did not receive compensation for this post, all opinions expressed are my own.
October 27, 2025
Sister Acts
Sister Acts: Four sisters. Four clashing personalities. Four different ways of living in the world.
About Sister Acts
Four sisters. Four clashing personalities. Four different ways of living in the world.
Sister Acts explores the impact of loss on three generations of one family –- in particular, the degree to which, to paraphrase Phyllis Chesler, women are capable of inhumanity toward other women. At times heartbreaking and at times hilarious, the novel illuminates the resilience that can come from knowing one’s roots and the estrangement that can result from trying to escape them.
Sophie Malinsky’s sudden death leaves her Left-wing Jewish family in disarray. Rather than bringing her young daughters closer, the loss creates a tangle of jealousies and recriminations. Rose, the eldest, recognizing their father’s limitations, at first tries to become a surrogate mother for her three sisters. But they resent her efforts, each one channeling – or repressing – her grief in a different way. In the absence of Sophie’s love and guidance, two sisters lose their way. Naomi moves to Mexico and tries to shed her Jewish identity. Betti ends up in Nashville pursuing a dream, never realized, of stardom as a rockabilly musician. A fourth sister, Marla, strives for dominance from an early age. Her jealousy of Rose leads to a toxic rivalry that persists well into middle age, affecting their own daughters as well. Lurking behind the conflicts is a family secret that Sophie had planned, but failed, to reveal. Decades later, when Rose finally uncovers it, the Malinskys’ saga finally comes into sharp focus.
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and B&N.
About the Author
Sharon Adelman Reyes is a writer, editor, and equestrienne in Oregon, living on the slopes of an extinct volcano and looking out on an active one. During a lengthy professional career, she has published various works drawing on her experiences in multicultural teaching. Sister Acts is her first novel.
You can connect with Sharon on Goodreads.
Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.