This January’s women’s march didn’t make as big a splash as the one a year earlier, but it drew impressive numbers, an abundance of pink hats, and a sea of signs, some of which can’t be reproduced in a family magazine. One popular slogan is printable and worth considering, though: Well-behaved women seldom make history. Curious about the origin, I discovered that it first appeared in a scholarly essay about (of all things) Puritan burial customs in 17th-century New England. Then it became a book title and eventually a rallying cry for fourth-wave feminism.

Our nonfiction selection committee chose five books published in 2017, in four categories: Real Lives, Real Adventure, Real Heart (a tie), and Science and Stewardship.

In No Good Deed, a novel for and about teens, author Goldy Moldavsky offers a rare satiric view of political correctness through the eyes of a guileless youth attending a summer camp for social justice warriors. At Camp Save the World, campers identify themselves by their pet causes, such as Feed the Children, Feminism, Men’s Rights, and QUILTBAG.

The Vanderbeeker family lives in a century-old brownstone in the heart of Harlem: Papa and Mama (who are called Papa and Mama), 12-year-old twins Jessie and Isa, 9-year-old Oliver, 6-year-old Hyacinth, and 4¾-year-old Laney, along with an assortment of furry four-footed family members. As their story opens, Papa announces he has good news and bad news. First the good: “You kids all know how much Mama and I love you, right?”

A British newspaper headline from last summer explains a lot—sort of: “Mother writes children’s book about Tilly the transgender teddy bear after being inspired by her father who transitioned into a woman.” The Daily Mail article reported that Jessica Walton of Melbourne, Australia, was raising money to publish a picture book that would help her baby son relate to his new “grandma.” Walton reached her Kickstarter goal and Introducing Teddy made its appearance last year.

Christian parents looking to introduce toddlers to the Bible should look at The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible (New Growth Press, 2017). It grew out of family pastor Jared Kennedy’s desire to “help toddlers and early preschoolers hear the good news of God’s love for them clearly expressed in ways that will speak to their young hearts.” In 52 stories, equally divided between Old and New Testaments, Kennedy uses the theme of “Promises Made” and “Promises Kept” to lay a sound theological foundation.

You Bring the Distant Near, one of the most widely praised young adult novels of 2017, is a family saga spanning three generations. It’s the story of an immigrant family that comes to Queens, N.Y., hoping to make a better life—and then the father dies in a bicycle accident. Several themes emerge: family conflict, cultural clashes, coming of age, falling in love, crusading for social justice. These are all typical YA themes, but author Mitali Perkins subtly enfolds one more: a moving and realistic picture of Christian conversion.