By Washington Post book critic Ron Charles

As summer revs up, here are three cool new novels, and a work of history that's wilder than fiction!

Lucas Schaefer's debut novel, takes place in and around a boxing gym in Austin, Texas, where everybody is trying to become somebody different.

Following two White teenagers – one obsessed with his African American mentor, the other discovering their transgender identity – this sweaty, comic masterpiece jumps in the ring with our most pressing social debates, and lands a knockoutv .

Read an excerpt: "The Slip" by Lucas Schaefer

by Lucas Schaefer (Simon & Schuster), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via , and

At the start of Michelle Huneven's the sweetest, smartest son any parents could ask for has just graduated from high school and headed off with his friends for a weeklong road trip.

But what starts as a domestic comedy soon becomes a tragedy, and Huneven turns her gracious eye to the way families carry on, even when shattered, and thrive.

Read an excerpt: "Bug Hollow" by Michelle Huneven

by Michelle Huneven (Penguin Press), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via , and

In a gently witty new novel by Kathy Wang, a woman from Taiwan makes her way in America with patience and determination.

For decades, she struggles to fit in with a complicated, wealthy family, until she can finally create a little safe space where people can find what they really want: just to be heard.

Read an excerpt: "The Satisfaction Café" by Kathy Wang

by Kathy Wang (Scribner), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via , and

A century ago, Western scientists knew almost nothing about giant pandas. Now, in a thrilling work of history, Nathalia Holt follows Teddy Roosevelt's sons, Ted and Kermit, as they set out with a team to China to track down these black-and-white creatures.

How would the brothers survive this treacherous expedition? And what would the implications be for these gentle animals? Holt explores these fascinating questions and others in

Read an excerpt: "The Beast in the Clouds" by Nathalia Holt

by Nathalia Holt (Atria/One Signal), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via , and 

That's it for the Book Report. For these and other suggestions about what to read this summer, talk with your local bookseller or librarian.

I'm Ron Charles. Until next time, read on!

     
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Produced by Robin Sanders. Editor: Joseph Frandino.

     
For more reading recommendations, check out these previous Book Report features from Ron Charles: 

• The Book Report (May 25)
• The Book Report (March 9)
• The Book Report (January 26)
• The best books of 2024
• The Book Report (October 13)
• The Book Report (July 14)
• The Book Report (June 2)
• The Book Report (April 28)
• The Book Report (March 17)
• The Book Report (February 18)
• Ron Charles' favorite novels of 2023
• The Book Report (October 22)
• The Book Report (September 17)
• The Book Report (August 6)
• The Book Report (June 4)
• The Book Report (April 30)
  
• The Book Report (March 19)
• The Book Report (February 12, 2023)
• The Book Report: Ron Charles' favorite novels of 2022
• The Book Report (November 13)
• The Book Report (Sept. 18)
• The Book Report (July 10)
  
• The Book Report (April 17)
• The Book Report (March 13)
• The Book Report (February 6, 2022)
• The Book Report (November 28)
• The Book Report (September 26)
• The Book Report (August 1)
• The Book Report (June 6)
• The Book Report (May 9)
• The Book Report (March 28)
• The Book Report (February 28)
• The Book Report (January 31, 2021)

• Books and Beyond