UPCOMING TITLES
October 2026
Hector Fox and the Snowy Surprise
Astrid Sheckels
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
Winter has come to the Green Wood, and Hector Fox and his friends are busy preparing for a festive celebration. But when howling winds and wild snows arrive, the friends get lost in the storm. Will they find their way home? Will all of their party plans go to waste? In their newest, snowiest adventure, Hector Fox and his woodland crew must rely on each other and their courage more than ever as they discover that friendship is one of the greatest gifts of all.
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Hector Fox and the Snowy Surprise, created by award-winning author and illustrator Astrid Sheckels, is the fifth in her series of picture books featuring Hector Fox, Lucy Skunk, Mo Marten, Charlie Chipmunk, Jeremiah Rabbit, and other surprise friends.
November 2026
Throwbacks and Keepers
Ron Pedro
Young Adult Fiction
A heartfelt middle-grade novel about a boy navigating foster care who finds healing, purpose, and new family among the lobstering community of a small Maine island.
Sully loves his mom. But love doesn’t always mean safety.
After years of homelessness and uncertainty, Sully is taken from his mother and placed in foster care—thrust into an unfamiliar world with new rules and strangers who say they want to help. Inside, Sully battles two powerful forces he calls “the Sads” and “the Mads,” feelings that make it hard to trust anyone.
Then he meets Miss Millie.
Miss Millie sings while she cooks, holds daily “safety briefings,” and insists that Sully and his new foster brother Victor help with chores, go to church, and look out for each other. When the trio visits Miss Millie’s sister Aggie on Long Island, Maine, Sully discovers something unexpected: lobstering.
Out on the water before sunrise, hauling traps alongside local lobstermen, Sully feels something he hasn’t felt in a long time—like he belongs.
But just when Sully begins to believe he’s finally found a forever home, tragedy strikes again.
With the help of Victor, Aggie, and the tight-knit island community, Sully learns that family isn’t always the one you start with—it’s the one that refuses to let you go.
Weaving back and forth between the present when Sully is age twelve and the past at age seven when the world he has always known falls apart, this is a heartfelt story of resilience, belonging, and second chances. Throwbacks and Keepers is perfect for fans of Lynda Mullaly Hunt and Gary D. Schmidt.
November 2026
E. Norm Moose
Heidi E.Y. Stemple
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
A warm and witty read-aloud about a moose named Norm and her misadventures in search of a friend.
Ernestine Norman Moose (Norm for short) sets out to find a friend, but being enormous makes that surprisingly difficult.
Norm’s size causes chaos everywhere she goes. When people shout, wave their arms, and declare, “That thing is ENORMOUS!” Norm is thrilled they know her name… but disappointed they don’t want to be her friend.
Just when she’s ready to give up, Norm meets Bo, a calm and quiet cow who doesn’t mind Norm’s size—or her clumsiness. Together they discover that the best friendships often come in the most unexpected forms.
A playful, heartwarming picture book about belonging, differences, and finding your herd.
December 2026
Wood Work: Building a living, Crafting a Life
Steve Smith
Nonfiction | Memoir
In January 2019, former white-collar worker Steve Smith stepped into the snowy Maine woods with a single question: could he make a living using only an axe?
With no business degree and no formal training—only books, YouTube videos, and stubborn determination—Smith founded Renaissance Timber LLC in Cumberland, Maine, becoming one of the only commercial hand-hewers in the United States. Over the next six years, he navigated brutal weather, physical danger, financial uncertainty, and family strain while building a successful timber operation that ultimately earned more than any of his previous office jobs.
Drawing on an upbringing in a religious cult and years of failed attempts to secure meaningful wage work, Smith explores the deeper forces that drove him toward a life of manual craft and self-reliance. Structured around the months of the year, A Hewn Life follows the seasonal rhythms of labor—frost, mud, sun, and sweat—revealing both the hardship and deep satisfaction of building something real with one’s hands.
Part memoir, part meditation on work and meaning, A Hewn Life is a resonant testament to the enduring human desire for purpose beyond the fluorescent glow of the modern office—and a beacon for anyone who has ever dreamed of leaving the desk behind.
December 2026
The Cosmic Journey of Jessica Meir
Jamie Hogan
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
Jessica Meir always knew what she wanted to do: VROOOOOOOM to outer space! Growing up beneath the dark night skies of northern Maine, Jessica had her head in the stars and her feet in the wild woods. As she got older, she traveled around the world to study extreme environments and the animals that thrive in them. She plunged under ice and slithered inside caves. Jessica’s hard work and determination led to a career with NASA, living out her astronaut dreams, and making history as part of the first all-woman spacewalk!
Get ready for astronaut Jessica Meir’s incredible cosmic journey.
3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .
Liftoff!
February 2027
ABCs of Maine
Written by Erika Zambello
Illustrated by Mary Zambello
Board Book
A Maine alphabet book that introduces young readers to the wonders of the Pine Tree State.
Give readers a taste of Maine through the state’s memorable plants, animals, pastimes, and treats in this charming ABC board book. From Birches to Fly fishing to Luna moths to Whoopie pies, each letter celebrates a different flavor of the state's beauty and character.
Exploring a mix of iconic Maine elements and some lesser known surprises, this engaging board book helps young children learn their ABCs while inviting all readers to discover fascinating facts about Maine's history, environment, wildlife, and culture.
Written and illustrated by sisters Erika and Mary Zambello, passionate outdoor enthusiasts and explorers, this book is a joyful celebration of the Pine Tree State in all its glory.
February 2027
Odum Widows
Emily Eaton Moore
Fiction
A madcap literary masterpiece, newly discovered and published posthumously for the first time.
For fifty years, Pearl Glass has listened to the crows that watch over Eden Harbor, a quirky Down East Maine village where secrets linger longer than winter. Now her grandmother Abigail—more than a century old and determined to die before summer's end—has one final wish: that Pearl find her happy ending.
As the two women trade stories and long-buried secrets, Pearl is drawn deeper into the tangled history of Eden Harbor's unforgettable residents, including the infamous Odum widows, whose family has been haunted for generations by a curse that turns every wedding into a funeral. Amid gossip, grief, mystery, and unexpected revelations, Pearl must confront the losses that have shaped her life and uncover the truth about her family, her past, and herself.
By turns hilarious, heartbreaking, and wholly original, this newly discovered novel by a previously unknown Maine writer is a literary treasure. Filled with unforgettable characters, sharp wit, and the rhythms of coastal Maine life, it is an instant Maine classic—perfect for readers who love richly woven community stories in the tradition of Olive Kitteridge or The Beans of Egypt, Maine, with a delightfully eccentric twist.
March 2027
Storm Season: Inspired by the True Story of Abbie Burgess
Jenny Connell Davis
Middle Grade
Inspired by the remarkable true story of Maine folk heroine Abigail Burgess, Storm Season is at once a thrilling survival adventure and a thoughtful, funny exploration of a girl’s place in society in the mid-1800s.
Fourteen-year-old Abbie Burgess has never been afraid of hard work. And it’s a good thing, since times are tough and money tight for her big family. Still, everyone in her small town has an opinion about what a girl should—or shouldn’t—be doing. But when her father accepts a position tending the lighthouse on remote Matinicus Rock, twenty miles off the coast of Maine, Abbie finds herself living at the edge of the world.
Life on the tiny island is lonely, wild, and unforgiving. Fierce winds batter the lighthouse. Supplies arrive only when the weather allows. And with endless ocean stretching in every direction, there's no escaping the power of the sea.
Then winter tightens its grip.
When food runs low and a supply boat fails to arrive, Abbie's father makes the dangerous journey to the mainland in search of help. Before he can return, a massive storm descends on Matinicus Rock. Cut off from the world and facing hurricane-force winds, Abbie must find a way to keep the lighthouse burning, protect her family, and survive one of the most devastating storms in Maine history.
Storm Season is an unforgettable tale of resilience, bravery, and the light that guides us through even the darkest nights.
April 2027
My Hawthorn Tree and Me
Written by Samara Cole Doyon
Illustrated by Daniel Minter
Children's Picture Book
A joyful picture book about self-expression, finding your voice, and standing up for what matters.
In the heart of the neighborhood stands a magnificent hawthorn tree. One curious and confident child sees something more than its breathtaking blossoms—they see a kindred spirit. Like the tree, they aren't afraid to stand out, and they find comfort in its beauty, strength, and quiet grace.
But when the beloved tree's future is suddenly threatened, the child discovers that even a small voice can make a big difference. Together, neighbors come together to protect a cherished community landmark, proving that when people unite around something they love, remarkable things can happen.
April 2027
Shorelines
Sheila Myers
Historical Fiction
Inspired by the life of Rachel Carson, this sweeping historical novel follows a young Maine islander whose dreams of becoming a scientist are upended by love, sacrifice, and a secret that resurfaces decades later.
Seventeen-year-old Galene Macgregor dreams of becoming a marine scientist, though life on a small Maine island offers little room for ambition. In the summer of 1963, she divides her days between caring for her father, who is losing his sight, and helping her struggling lobsterman brother, Sam. Her future feels distant—until she is hired as a maid for renowned author and conservationist Rachel Carson, a seasonal resident.
Galene has long admired Carson’s writing about the sea, and the job quickly becomes something more. As she assists Carson during the tense months leading up to the publication of Silent Spring, Galene is drawn into a world of intellectual rigor, public scrutiny, and quiet courage. In Carson’s presence, she begins to imagine a life beyond the limits of her island.
But that awakening is disrupted by a summer romance with James, the son of a wealthy family with its own hidden fractures. When Galene becomes pregnant and James disappears under the weight of his family’s unraveling secrets, her carefully forming future collapses.
Told in dual timelines, Shorelines asks what it means to return home and face a past that has never stopped haunting you. Walking the tide line between ambition and obligation, this gripping novel explores the cost of the roads not taken, the choices women make in the shadow of their own dreams, and the enduring pull of place.
A richly atmospheric story of ambition, motherhood, and the sea, Shorelines will resonate with readers who were moved by the feminine resilience of Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge and the historical depth of Amanda Peters’ The Berry Pickers, and who find the epic in the intimate, the universal in the deeply local.
May 2027
Periwinkle to Portland
Written by Julie Bliven
Illustrated by Brier Haigh
Children's Picture Book
A tiny island snail embarks on a big city adventure!
Periwinkle dreams of visiting the bright, busy city. There’s just one problem. How will she ever travel from her little island off the coast of Maine to the bustling streets of Portland?
Periwinkle sets out, determined to find a way. Obstacles land in her path, but so do new friends. And whenever opportunity arises, Periwinkle helps others too.Will Periwinkle ever reach Portland? What, after all, could a snail possibly do in a city?
An adorable story about persistence and how the smallest of creatures can achieve the grandest of dreams—even if they go at a snail’s pace.
June 2027
The Last Lighthouse Keeper
Written by Marianne Blackstone Tabner
Illustrated by Ann Curch Gagliano
Children's Picture Book
The remarkable picture book biography of Sally Snowman, who overcame obstacles and followed her dreams to make history as the last official lighthouse keeper in the United States of America.
Sally Snowman was captivated by lighthouses from the moment she first saw Boston Light as a child. She dreamed of becoming a lighthouse keeper! But school proved tricky for young Sally, who learned differently from her peers at a time when special education supports did not exist. It would be years before her learning disabilities were diagnosed, and when they were, Sally earned her teaching degree to help teach other neurodivergent students. In the meantime, Sally joined the coast guard. And when the news came that Boston Light would hire a new keeper, Sally applied. In 2003, she became the first woman keeper at Boston Light, and the last official lighthouse keeper in the United States.
Lyrical text pairs with exuberant illustrations to bring Sally’s fascinating true story to life. Backmatter included.
June 2027
Where You'll Find Me
Ty Gagne
Nonfiction
A heartbreaking true story of ambition, split-second decisions, and the unforgiving power of the mountains—and a gripping investigation into how even the most capable among us can misjudge the risks we face.
On February 15, 2015, Kate Matrosova, an avid mountaineer, set off before sunrise to traverse New Hampshire's Northern Presidential Range in the White Mountains. Late the following day, rescuers carried her frozen body off the mountain, following a desperate search amid some of the worst weather ever recorded on these deceptively rugged slopes.
At thirty-two, Matrosova was fit, experienced, and well-equipped. She had summited far higher mountains on several continents, and her gear included a rescue beacon and a satellite phone. Yet more than forty expert search-and-rescue personnel, a New Hampshire Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter, and a Civil Air Patrol aircraft could not reach her in time to save her.
What went wrong?
In Where You'll Find Me, Ty Gagne reconstructs Matrosova's final climb through meticulous research, firsthand interviews, and an intimate understanding of the mountains. The result is a gripping account of a tragedy and a revealing case study in risk, decision-making, and the ways small miscalculations can compound with devastating consequences.
Neither assigning blame nor offering easy answers, Gagne examines what can be learned from Matrosova's story—and what remains unknowable. His thoughtful, deeply researched investigation offers valuable lessons not only for mountaineers, but for anyone who has ever had to weigh risk, trust their judgment, or decide when it's time to turn back.
This revised and updated edition includes new material drawn from the author's additional interviews and research.
July 2027
Weesel
Becky McKenna
Fiction
A voice-driven debut set over one sweltering Maine summer about a boy on the edge of adulthood—stuck in a dead-end town, unraveling over a father who was already gone long before he went missing.
His name is Weesel. His ma says it’s Brian, but it ain’t. He's nineteen, hasn’t finished high school, and is still hanging around Jamesville—a one-horse Maine town where summer feels endless and nothing much ever happens. Unlike his mother, Weesel doesn't see the point in learning the trades. He doesn't want a plan. He wants to smoke cigarettes in the dooryard, do odd jobs for the nice old lady in town, save up for a cell phone, and maybe get lucky with one of the girls on the neighboring town's soccer team.
Then the new English teacher moves in next door. She has a big, fancy dog and a way of walking that makes Weesel think going back for senior year doesn't sound so bad after all.
Over the course of one sweltering Maine week, Weesel and his friends kick around town—checking out girls, swimming at the quarry, swearing too much, and scoring beer from men who've given up on whatever little they had to begin with. Their fathers hover like ghosts: bankrupt, adulterous, or, in Weesel's case, missing entirely. His mother is stretched thin. His sharp-tongued sister keeps a dark secret. And Weesel, angry and scared and trying hard not to care, starts coming apart at the seams.
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A Catcher in the Rye for a new generation in the same vein as We the Animals by Justin Torres and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, this debut novel is equal parts coarse, funny, and devastating—a coming-of-age story about a boy on the edge of adulthood, circling the road out of town, terrified he might already be exactly who he's going to become.
July 2027
Some Wishes
Written by Alison Goldberg
Illustrated by Jeanette Bradley
Children's Picture Book
Some wishes start small,
one word on a page…
A stunning, tender picture book about all the ways we make wishes, including the most powerful wishes of all.
From skipping stones to shooting stars, a child and their family cast unspoken wishes out into the world as the child undergoes treatments for a serious illness.
Alison Goldberg’s spare, lilting rhymes come together with Jeanette Bradley’s sweet, memorable illustrations to create a profound exploration of wishes, healing, and the collective hope that holds and carries us through hard moments.
August 2027
Oyster Society
Virginia Shaffer
Memoir
Starred by Foreword Reviews
Part culinary adventure, part personal awakening—one woman’s story of how chasing oysters across North America led her to discover an entire hidden community and her own true path.
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PAPER BACK EDITION
