The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Emotions & Feelings

Twenty-Four Seconds from Now . . . by Jason Reynolds

What can’t he do? After opening conversations about gun violence, the importance of belonging, bravery, and superheroes, now Jason Reynolds has turned the conversation to what real love looks like as navigated by sweet, kind, confused, scared (of dogs!) insightful 17-year-old Neon. This honest book is basically Judy Blume’s Forever written for today’s teen and should absolutely be required reading for every freshman English class.

Twenty-Four Seconds from Now . . . by Jason Reynolds, (List Price: $19.99, Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 9781665961271, October 2024)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Simultaneously heartbreaking and humorous. A fictionalized tale of the author’s life as a young teen, chronicling his battle with being loyal to his home and breaking away to meet who he was destined to be.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, (List Price: $20.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316504041, September 2017)

Reviewed by Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley in Vienna, Virginia

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Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma by Anne Camlin, Isadora Zeferino (illus.)

Very cute! I struggled a little in the beginning because the MC (Evan) was driving me insane. Luckily he was redeemed and a lot better very quickly. Loved the characters, the artwork, the ENDING!!!, all of it. It was super cute, full of LGBTQIA rep, and a fun take on Emma by Jane Austen.

Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma by Anne Camlin, Isadora Zeferino (illus.), (List Price: $17.99, Little Brown, Ink, 9780316704106, September 2024)

Reviewed by Stephanie St. John, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi

Little Shrew is a quiet and sweet story of life and friends told in three chapters. Its quietness makes it a great bedtime story or a lovely moment to sit and ponder.

Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi, (List Price: $19.99, Kids Can Press, 9781525313035, June 2024)

Reviewed by Judith Lafitte, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Love Is My Favorite Color by Nina Laden

This might just be my favorite picture book of the year. This is a story of how to live well at any age, how to show wonder, joy, appreciation, and understanding. It’s the perfect read along, and the illustrations feel both of-this-world and deeply magical.

Love Is My Favorite Color by Nina Laden, (List Price: $18.99, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 9781665913096, January 2024)

Reviewed by Morgan DePerno, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Beyond Magenta : Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin

The title’s topic immediately sets this book apart, but it’s the 6 first-person narratives and the stunning photography that will bring you and your teen(s) together in your understanding of individuality and humanity. One of the most important books published this year.

Beyond Magenta : Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin, (List Price: $14.99, Candlewick, 9780763673680, March 2015)

Reviewed by Jenesse Evertson, Bbgb in Richmond, Virginia

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Spotlight On: Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb, Erin Kraan (Illus.)

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Buffalo Fluffalo Illustration

I’m the Buffalo Fluffalo
I heave and I huffalo
Leave me alone because
I’ve had enuffalo.


Buffalo Fluffalo arrives on the scene puffed up with self-importance. Stomping around and raising billows of dust, Buffalo Fluffalo proclaims his superiority to the other creatures—the ram, the prairie dog, and the crow—who just want to be his friend. So Buffalo Fluffalo, who has had enuffalo, heads off to grumble to himself. Suddenly, a rain shower pours down from the clouds and—what’s this? All of his fluffalo is a soggy mess! There Fluffalo stands, a drenched pip-squeak without his disguise. The other animals, who could see through Fluffalo’s bravado from the start, circle around to comfort him. As prairie dog says with a smile in his eyes, You’re great how you are, no matter your size.

Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb, Erin Kraan

What booksellers are saying about Buffalo Fluffalo

  • Sing-song, rhyming text is very catchy. This title will be a good read-aloud. Love how the story shows that all are important and have value in a community.
      ― Stacy Sharp from Plenty Downtown Bookshop in Cookeville, TN | Buy from Plenty Downtown Bookshop

  • A grumpy buffalo is no match for a cast of sweet animal friends who show him that he’s worthy of friendship. Fun and silly, Buffalo Fluffalo reminds us that we aren’t all as big as our bluster, and it’s ok to be uniquely ourselves.
      ― Jessica Nock from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC | Buy from Main Street Books

  • I absolutely LOVE Buffalo Fluffalo! The rhyming is superb and sure to delight children of all ages. The message is sweet and a nice lesson- one even adults might need reminding of when they feel like Buffalo Fluffalo
      ― Michelle Weiler, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, North Carolina | Buy from Quail Ridge Books

About Bess Kalb and Erin Kraan

Bess Kalb, photo by Lucas Foglia PhotographyBess Kalb is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer and the bestselling author of Nobody Will Tell You This but Me, a New York Times Editor’s Choice. She wrote for eight years on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and has written for the Emmy Awards, the Academy Awards, and the 2020 Democratic National Convention. She is the head writer and executive producer of the WGA Award-nominated Yearly Departed, and is currently adapting Nobody Will Tell You This but Me into a feature film with Sight Unseen Pictures. She lives with her husband and two boys in Brooklyn. This is her debut picture book.

Erin Kraan, photo by Britney BernerErin Kraan is a children’s book illustrator, woodcutter, and printmaker. She loves the process of carving her characters into wood and seeing how their quirky and whimsical identities come to life through the ink in the prints. Erin lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Salat in Secret by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

"Daddy’s joy is bigger than him. It’s a wide, gap-toothed smile and a deep rumbling laugh that shakes the dinner table kind of joy."How can a book that begins this way not be wonderful? And it is. Muhammad receives a prayer rug for his 7th birthday and is nervous about what others will think of him observing salat at school. Heartwarming and significant, this is picture book perfection.

Salat in Secret by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, (List Price: $18.99, Random House Studio, 9781984848093, June 2023)

Reviewed by Elese Stutts, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Cape by Kevin Johnson

A June 2023 Read This Next! Title

A touching story about grief. Losing someone is never easy and often we never know what to do with those feelings. Cape shows us the beauty of remembering someone we’ve lost and how through remembrances we can find some peace.

Cape by Kevin Johnson, (List Price: 18.99, Roaring Brook Press, 9781250840509, June 2023)

Reviewed by Keeshia Jacklitch, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Summer Is for Cousins by Rajani LaRocca

I still fondly remember the summers spent with my cousins; playing at the beach, board games, sharing secrets under the covers, and of course the ice cream. Growing up my favorite person in the entire world was my older cousin Michael. And I always worried that the next time we saw each other, he would have forgotten me and all the memories I treasured. But just like Michael and I, Dhruv and Ravi understand each other. This book wonderfully captures the whimsy of childhood summers, the distance that comes from being apart, and the moments that matter.

Summer Is for Cousins by Rajani LaRocca, (List Price: 17.99, Abrams Books for Young Readers, 9781419757334, May 2023)

Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Artist by Ed Vere

A dinosaur book about art, narrated by the dinosaur. Warm and measured, it becomes an instruction manual of sorts, while ultimately transforming into a tribute to an artist, by a dinosaur. Actually, the whole book is by an incredibly good author/artist (not a dinosaur, yet).

The Artist by Ed Vere, (List Price: 18.99, Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 9780525580874, April 2023)

Reviewed by Jilleen Moore, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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What’s Sweeter by June Tate

One of my favorite picture books of the last couple years, this debut from June Tate is like a warm hug in a book. A playful book about appreciating the smaller things and slowing down, it’s quirky and cute yet modern. The illustrations are my favorite, there’s a nostalgic feeling to the drawing style that just makes this book even better and reminds me of what I grew up with. Lots of love for this tiny treat of a book.

What’s Sweeter by June Tate, (List Price: $17.99, Katherine Tegen Books, December 2022)

Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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Begin Again by Emma Lord

A January 2023 Read This Next! Title

Emma Lord brings the feels in her new novel, Begin Again. Andie didn’t get into her first choice college with her boyfriend, but she has a plan. She works really hard and ends up getting in as a transfer student after her first semester at community college. The problem is that she planned her transfer as a surprise for her boyfriend….who did the same thing, transferring to the school Andie WAS at.

Begin Again by Emma Lord (List Price: $18.99, Wednesday Books, 9781250783363, January 2023)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Beatrice Likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke

What a beautiful unfolding of sisterly love! Beatrice Likes the Dark reinforces the wisdom so difficult to impart on young hearts: It is what makes us uniquely different, that also makes us uniquely lovable. The book is sitting on my Grandma shelf–ready to share with my own darlings.

Beatrice Likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke (List Price: $18.95, Algonquin Young Readers, 9781643751573, September 2022)

Reviewed by Annell Gerson, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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This Story Is Not About a Kitten by Randall de Sève

An October 2022 Read This Next! Title

Many hands make light work, and many hearts working together can accomplish great things. This is not a story about a kitten, its a story about community, the language of caring, and of the incredible powers of kindness group effort can bring.

This Story Is Not About a Kitten by Randall de Sève, (List Price: $18.99, Random House Studio, 9780593374535, October 2022)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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