All the Beating Hearts by Julie Fogliano; illustrated by Cátia Chien

On a morning brimming with possibilities, a gentle narrator muses on everything the day might bring, from work to play to all the little moments in between, like watching clouds and seeing something grow. From small beginnings, the pages begin to hint at life’s larger crescendo moments: days so hard we struggle to bear it, and others that feel exactly right. Then day inevitably turns to night, and for a while, “We are all just hearts beating in the darkness.” This quiet space invites us to be fully present in the moment, feeling whatever we feel; each of us vital, connected, “the same, but exactly different.” As a bright new dawn starts the cycle anew, that truth is a strong and steady pulse beneath the bustle of another busy morning.

Warrior Princess: The Story of Khutulun by Sally Deng

A retelling of a legendary princess's life and a story of whether to do what others expect or to “just do you.” A proud cry from her father announces the birth of Mongolian Princess Khutulun amid a starry night. The daughter of the khan and the great-great-granddaughter of Genghis Khan, Khutulun, trains to become a warrior and fulfill demanding duties. She shadows her mother as she skillfully leads meetings and handles advisers. Yet Khutulun finds that she prefers a warrior's life; she loves to hunt and wrestle alongside her brothers and yearns to ride "under the infinite sky." When Khutulun reaches marriageable age, she announces she will only marry the man who can break her undefeated wrestling record and Khutulun faces her greatest battle: whether to succumb to expectations or to forge her own path. A sharp narrative with powerful imagery fully captures the tenacity of the warrior princess. The author's note admits to liberties with the story and explores further details of the princess's life. Forceful and compelling

In Limbo: A Graphic Memoir by Deb JJ Lee

Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee knows she's different. Ever since her family emigrated from South Korea to the United States, she's felt her "otherness." For a while, her English isn't perfect. None of her teachers can pronounce her Korean name. Her face and her eyes — especially her eyes — stand out. As the pressures of high school ramp up, friendships change and end, and everything gets harder. Even home isn't a safe place, as fights with her mom escalate. Deb is caught in a limbo, with nowhere to go, and her mental health plummets. But Deb is resilient. She discovers art and self-care, and gradually begins to start recovering. And during a return trip to South Korea, she realizes something that changes her perspective on her family, her heritage, and herself.

This stunning debut graphic memoir features page after page of gorgeous, evocative art, perfect for Tillie Walden fans. It's a cross section of the Korean-American diaspora and mental health, a moving and powerful read in the vein of Hey, Kiddo and The Best We Could Do.

Chlorine: A Novel by Jade Song

In the vein of The Pisces and The Vegetarian, Chlorine is a debut novel that blurs the line between a literary coming-of-age narrative and a dark unsettling horror tale, told from an adult perspective on the trials and tribulations of growing up in a society that puts pressure on young women and their bodies. It is a powerful, relevant novel of immigration, sapphic longing, and fierce, defiant becoming. Ren Yu is a swimmer. Her daily life starts and ends with the pool. Her teammates are her only friends. Her coach, her guiding light. If she swims well enough, she will be scouted, get a scholarship, go to a good school. Her parents will love her. Her coach will be kind to her. She will have a good life. But these are human concerns. These are the concerns of those confined to land, those with legs. Ren grew up on stories of creatures of the deep, of the oceans and the rivers. Ones that called sailors to their doom. Ones that dragged them down and drowned them. Ones that feasted on their flesh. Ones of the creature that she's always longed to become: mermaid. Ren aches to be in the water. She dreams of the scent of chlorine, the feel of it on her skin. And she will do anything she can to make a life for herself where she can be free: no matter the pain, no matter what anyone else thinks, no matter how much blood she has to spill.

The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance by Dan Egan

Phosphorus is dangerous stuff, used in everything from firebombs to rat poison, but it is also crucial to the manufacture of fertilizer, a life saver for billions of people. Here, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Egan (The Death and Life of the Great Lakes) chronicles the scramble to source phosphorus and the dangers incurred, with the toxic "dead zones" thus created haunting waterways worldwide.