For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, J. Albert Mann’s new historical novel The Degenerates has captured our attention. Mann portrays four young women in the early twentieth century whose lives intersect when they are locked up by a world that took the poor, the disabled, the marginalized-and institutionalized them for life. For more great reads, check out the list below!

The Mysterious Messenger
Written by Gilbert Ford
Published by Henry Holt and Co. Books For Young Readers
Available now!

Backward Science
Written by Clive Gifford and illustrated by Anne Wilson
Published by QEB Publishing
Available now!

The Kitchen Pantry Scientist: Chemistry for Kids
Written by Liz Lee Heinecke
Published by Quarry Books
Available now!

Joy
Written by Yasmeen Ismail and illustrated by Jenni Desmond
Published by Candlewick
Available now!

The Degenerates
Written by J. Albert Mann
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Wheels
Written by Sally Sutton and illustrated by Brian Lovelock
Published by Candlewick
Available now!