Archives par étiquette : St. Martin’s Press

MILENA AND MARGARETE de Gwen Strauss

A profoundly moving and expertly researched WWII history from the author of The Nine. A celebration of love under the darkest of circumstances, Strauss sheds light on both an untold WWII love story and an untold chapter in queer history.

MILENA AND MARGARETE:
A Love Story in Ravensbrück
by Gwen Strauss
St. Martin’s Press, August 2025

From the moment they met in 1940 in Ravensbrück concentration camp, Milena Jesenska and Margarete Buber-Neumann were inseparable. Czech Milena was Kafka’s first translator and epistolary lover and a journalist opposed to fascism. A non-conformist, bi-sexual feminist, she was way ahead of her time. With the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, her home became a central meeting place for Jewish refugees. German Margarete, born to a middle-class family, married the son of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber. But soon swept up in the fervor of the Bolshevik Revolution, she met her second partner, the Communist Heinz Neumann. Called to Moscow for his “political deviations,” he fell victim to Stalin’s purges while Margarete was exiled to the hell of the Soviet gulag. Two years later, traded by Stalin to Hitler, she ended up outside Berlin in Ravensbrück, the only concentration camp built for women.

Milena and Margarete loved each other at the risk of their lives. But in the post-war survivors’ accounts, lesbians were stigmatized, and survivors kept silent. This book explores those silences and finally celebrates two strong women who never gave up and continue to inspire. As Margarete wrote: “I was thankful for having been sent to Ravensbrück, because it was there I met Milena.”

Gwen Strauss is the author of The Nine and a collection of poetry, Trail of Stones. Her poems, short stories and essays have appeared in numerous journals including The New Republic, London Sunday Times, New England Review, and Kenyon Review. She was born and spent her early years in Haiti. Strauss lives in Southern France, where she is the Executive Director of the Dora Maar Cultural Center.

AGENT UNICORN de Jenny Alvarado

An ambitious Unicorn learns that it takes more to be a detective than flashy moves, sneaky disguises, and cool gadgets in this zany, action-packed comic adventure about following your dreams.

AGENT UNICORN
by Jenny Alvarado
Page Street/St. Martin’s Press, September 2024

While unicorns usually shimmer and sparkle in the spotlight, Unicorn longs for fame of another kind: he wants to be a cool, case-crackin’ undercover agent, just like his hero, Agent Sparrow. And he’s finally gotten his big break—a job at Agent Goat’s Detective Agency! True, he might be sweeping the floors for now, but it’s one step closer to his dream.

When Unicorn intercepts the case of a missing pet bird, he leaps into action! This is his moment to shine—or, erm, sneak. He’s sure he’s ready to be a detective even though he has no actual experience. With the best disguises and coolest gadgets, how hard can it be?

But before long, he’ll discover that there’s more to being an agent than sneaky moves and looking cool. He’ll have to track down the humility and heart of a true detective and avoid getting distracted by the annoying bunny that keeps following him—a bunny that might just bear some resemblance to the missing pet—if he ever hopes to officially become Agent Unicorn.

Comic fans, unicorn fans, and anyone who’s ever had an improbable dream will love getting wrapped up in this humorous comic adventure about pursuing your dreams with passion and patience.

“An accidental training day where doing the right thing beats flashy appearances.” —Kirkus

“[T]his picture book grappling-hooks across the gap for younger readers who are setting their junior spyglasses on comic formatting but are not quite ready for a full-length graphic novel—an exciting literacy skills mission, should readers choose to accept it.” —BCCB

Jenny Alvarado is an author-illustrator who was born and raised in Miami, Florida. When she’s not searching for her next book idea, she can be found drawing, singing, or hanging out with her family in the Space Coast of Florida where she currently lives.

WE CAN NEVER LEAVE de H.E. Edgmon

Sweet Tooth meets The Raven Boys in this queer young adult contemporary fantasy about what it means to belong.

WE CAN NEVER LEAVE
by H.E. Edgmon
Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Publishing Group, June 2025

You can never go home…

Every day, all across the world, inhuman creatures are waking up with no memory of who they are or where they came from–and the Caravan exists to help them. The traveling community is made up of these very creatures and their families who’ve acclimated to this new existence by finding refuge in each other. That is, until the morning five teenage travelers wake to find their community has disappeared around them overnight.

Those left: a half-human who only just ran back to the Caravan with their tail between their legs, two brothers–one who can’t seem to stay out of trouble and the other who’s never been brave enough to get in it, a venomous girl with blood on her hands and a heart of gold, and the Caravan’s newest addition, a disquieting shadow in the shape of a boy. They’ll have to work together to figure out what happened the night of the disappearance, but each one of the forsaken five is white-knuckling their own secrets. And with each truth forced to light, it becomes clear this isn’t really about what happened to their people–it’s about what happened to them.

H.E. Edgmon did not sleep for several years and is now the author of copious novels and short works for tweens, teens, and adults. Their line-up includes The Witch King duology, the Ouroboros duology, and The Flicker, and their writing has been described as “monstrously thrilling, deeply emotional” by School Library Journal. Across genres, H.E. hopes to find readers in their darkest moments and help them start a fire. In their laughably limited free time, they’re likely hosting themed parties for no reason or trying to predict the future. They live in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by chosen family and giant dogs.

SALVAGE de Renee Nault

A beautifully illustrated graphic romance about finding love in the unlikeliest of places and people, and embracing who you are, even when it’s hard.

SALVAGE
by Renee Nault
Ten Speed Graphic/St. Martin’s Publishing Group, October 2025

Paolo only knows life in The Flats, where people live on stilt houses under constant threat of sinking into the ocean below. His family makes a living salvaging materials from the skyscrapers just underneath the water, remnants of a world before sea levels rose. It’s a dangerous job, diving down so deep, but one day Paolo scores big: He finds a suitcase of undamaged clothes, and they just so happen to be in his size. Instead of selling them at the weekly market, he decides to fulfill a dream of his—spending one night in the Uplands, where everyone who’s someone lives.

Getting off the subway in the Uplands, Paolo immediately gets lost and is about to end up in a bad situation when a girl named Jules and her friends usher him away. It turns out they’re living the life he’s always dreamed of. They spend their nights at the most exclusive clubs, have access to all sorts of entertainment, and have no real responsibilities. One night with them—and with Jules—just isn’t enough. Soon, Paolo finds himself sneaking to the Uplands as much as possible and leading a double life. The closer he gets to Jules, the more he has to lie to her and risk the new life and friends he’s made.

Renee Nault began her art career as an illustrator, and her vivid watercolors have appeared in books, magazine and advertising around the world. Renee works traditionally in ink and watercolor preferring the tactile qualities of paint and paper to digital tools. She is best known for her acclaimed graphic novel version of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, which she both adapted and illustrated. SALVAGE is her first original graphic novel.

READ THIS BOOK IN THE DARK d’Erin Falligant

Perfect for fans of Goosebumps and Eerie Elementary, READ THIS BOOK IN THE DARK gives school-aged readers the creepy but kid-safe legends they can’t resist.

READ THIS BOOK IN THE DARK:
Scary Campfire Stories for Kids
by Erin Falligant
illustrated by Laura Borioby
Castle Point/St. Martin’s, May 2025

Spine-tingling tales for daring young horror fans! Kids will love being challenged to brave this thrilling collection of scary stories by accomplished children’s book author, Erin Falligant. From the glow-in-the-dark cover to the engaging tales of all things gross, freaky, and supernatural, this chilling compilation is bound to be a win with horror-curious kids and their parents.

Erin Falligant has written more than 40 books for kids, including picture books, advice books, and educational workbooks. Erin has a master’s degree in child psychology and writes from her home in Madison, Wisconsin.