Summer Reads

'An astonishing masterpiece ... a political classic ... has an almost biblical force' -- Eric HobsbawmThe Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels' revolutionary 1848 summons to the working classes, is one of the most influential political theories ever...

Ancient Greece first coined the concept of "democracy", yet almost every major ancient Greek thinker-from Plato and Aristotle onwards- was ambivalent towards or even hostile to democracy in any form. The explanation for this is quite simple: the elite...

The Western narrative of world history largely omits a whole civilization. Destiny Disrupted tells the history of the world from the Islamic point of view, and restores the centrality of the Muslim perspective, ignored for a thousand years.In Destiny...

“Kurlansky finds the world in a grain of salt.” - New York Times Book ReviewAn unlikely world history from the bestselling author of Cod and The Basque History of the WorldIn his fifth work of nonfiction, Mark Kurlansky turns his attention to a common...

A monumental retelling of world history through the lens of the sea—revealing in breathtaking depth how people first came into contact with one another by ocean and river, lake and stream, and how goods, languages, religions, and entire cultures...

From Nobel prize-winning economist Amartya Sen, The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian Culture, History and Identity brings together an illuminating selection of writings on contemporary India.India is an immensely diverse country with many...

In November 1519, Hernando Cortés walked along a causeway leading to the capital of the Aztec kingdom and came face to face with Moctezuma. That story—and the story of what happened afterwards—has been told many times, but always following the narrative...

An engrossing biography of the longest-reigning female pharaoh in Ancient Egypt and the story of her audacious rise to power. Hatshepsut—the daughter of a general who usurped Egypt's throne—was expected to bear the sons who would legitimize the reign of...

A sharply funny and moving debut novel about a queer Mexican American girl navigating Catholic school, while falling in love and learning to celebrate her true self. Perfect for fans of Erika L. Sánchez, Leah Johnson, and Gabby Rivera.   Sixteen-year-old...

"Hackwith's poignant, imaginative series sends readers on an amazing journey, with profound prose that will capture hearts and minds."*To save the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, former librarian Claire and her allies may have to destroy it first...

Epic fantasy followup to HALL OF SMOKE, featuring crumbling empires, secretive cults and godlike powers to be claimed, for readers of Margaret Owen, Brian Staveley, V. E. Schwab and Melissa Caruso.After a brutal war between the gods, Hessa – High...

Welcome to the Witherward, and to a London that is not quite like our own. Here, it's summertime in February, the Underground is a cavern of wonders and magic fills the streets. But this London is a city divided, split between six rival magical factions,...

With swashbuckling, super-fast paced action and own voices queer romance, The Battalion of the Dead return in a dazzling new adventure, set amid the opulence and squalor of 18th-century London and Paris. 1794, London: where luxury and squalor rub...

A poetic, gifty offering that combines first love, friendship, and persistent courage in this lyrical immigration story told in verse.Carrying just a suitcase and an old laundry bag filled with clothes, Kasienka and her mother are immigrating to England...

There's a killer at Ruby's new school. It's Ruby.On her first day at a new school, Ruby finds a note in her locker saying "I KNOW YOU DID IT". She's terrified that someone has found out she was responsible for the death of a girl called Hannah in a...

Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature and Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for FictionAn ALA/ALSC Notable Children’s Book and an ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten selectionA teenage girl unravels lies and magic...

A teen is on the run from ghosts during the English Civil War in this YA historical fantasy from award-winning author Frances HardingeSometimes, when a person dies, their spirit goes looking for somewhere to hide. Some people have space within them,...

Discover a world where words have untold power in this thrilling fantasy adventure from award-winning author Frances HardingeEverybody knew that books were dangerous. Read the wrong book, it was said, and the words crawled around your brain on black legs...

Twilight Robbery is the extraordinary sequel to the award-winning Fly By Night by Costa winner Frances Hardinge.The city at night is a dangerous place . . .Mosca Mye and Eponymous Clent are in trouble again. Escaping disaster by the skin of their teeth,...

Saints and Misfits—a William C. Morris Award finalist and an Entertainment Weekly Best YA Book of the Year—is a “timely and authentic” (School Library Journal, starred review) debut novel that feels like a modern day My So-Called Life...starring a Muslim...