Happy Easter Monday! Hope you had a wonderful celebration with family and friends this weekend. Maybe you or someone you love even found a book or two in the Easter basket.
Here are some of the new books coming this week that I am excited about:
Books for Kids
Ada Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists – For fans of Ada Twist, Scientist comes this book of STEM projects just for kids. This could be a great classroom resource, too.
Alien Alert – Book 3 in the Breaking News series. This time, the bears are abducted by aliens. I haven’t read any of these, but they sound fantastic. I have this one on my list of books to check out in person.
But the Bear Came Back – A boy pushes away a persistent bear, but when the bear stops coming back, the boy misses him. I’ve seen only a few pages of this one, but it looks absolutely adorable. I can’t wait to read the whole thing.
A Dog with Nice Ears – The latest book starring Charlie and Lola.
Don’t Blink – A bedtime book in disguise. Every time the reader blinks, he or she has to turn the page. If you never get to the end, you never have to go to bed. So don’t blink. Adorable!
An Extraordinary Teacher – The Bible story of Priscilla from the Book of Acts. Part of the Called and Courageous Girls series, this looks fantastic!
The Magician’s Secret – A boy is fascinated by his grandfather’s treasures and the stories that go with them. Looks fun!
Shark Nate-o – A shark-loving boy learns to swim. Adorable! Looks like this includes some shark facts, too.
Unicorn and Horse – Horse can’t stand the unicorn he shares a pen with. But when Unicorn is in trouble, will Horse help? This is at the top of my picture book list for this week because I want to see what happens!
What’s Cooking Moo Moo? – A cow and a duck open a five star restaurant. I haven’t read the other book in this series, but I am curious to check them both out.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
The Doughnut Fix – A boy trying to adjust to a new town decides to open a doughnut stand and make the town’s secret doughnut recipe once again. I am fascinated by this whole story idea. I’ll be looking for this one!
Following Baxter – Two kids and a magical dog search for a missing neighbor. This sounds terrific! My kind of fantasy story.
Johnny Quick – Book 2 in the Flash TV show series for kids. I enjoyed the first book which fits into the TV version of The Flash, but takes place in a different timeline so the books can work independently from the show. This continues the story started in book one, Hocus Pocus.
Maggie and Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort – Two girls trying to negotiate changes in their friendship after a summer apart build a pillow fort that magically connects to a network of forts around the world. The quirky premise of this story really grabs my attention. I’m curious to see how the story comes together.
My Life as a Youtuber – Book 7 in the My Life series. I included this book in the mix this week because YouTube is HUGE with kids and teens right now. This feels like a timely story of a kid negotiating the world of YouTube in the midst of his regular life ups and downs.
The Pompeii Disaster – Book 3 in Dan Gutman’s Flashback Four series about a set of kids traveling through time to document major world events. I haven’tried this adventure series, but my students and I enjoyed one of Gutman’s previous action packed series – The Genius Files.
Rebound – A new novel in verse from Kwame Alexander, Rebound takes readers into the story of Chuck Bell, father to Josh and Jordan Bell from Alexander’s epically popular book, The Crossover.
Seeker of the Crown – Book 2 in the Prisoner of Ice and Snow series about twin sisters, wrongful imprisonment and missing royals. Book one is at the top of my personal list for this week.
Until Tomorrow Mr. Marsworth – Historical fiction about the Vietnam war and a girl who desperately hopes her brother won’t enlist and a reclusive neighbor who wants to help her. The cover for this one has grabbed my attention since I first saw it.
Living Your Faith: A Journey Through James – A Bible study on the book of James for tween girls (ages 8-12)
Who is Aretha Franklin?
Who Is the Dalai Lama?
Folded Notes from High School – Set in 1991, a senior Queen Bee is dazzled by a freshman’s Danny Zuko audition which turns into obsession. I am curious to see what the tone of this one is. If it is funny, I think this could be a book I will really enjoy.
Loser’s Bracket – A difficult family situation leaves a teenager in foster care on the hunt for her missing nephew who also needs a safe place to land. This sounds like a book I will enjoy. This is on my list for this week, too.
The Oracle Queen (e-novella) – A Three Dark Crowns novella about the last Oracle Queen in Fennbirn – before they started killing any potential queens born with the oracle gift. Is the story passed down about Queen Elsabet what truly happened, or is there more to her story than anyone knows? This is available as a stand alone story for e-readers. I really enjoyed the first novella, and will definitely be reading the second one! I’ve already requested it from the library.
Queens of Fennbirn – This physical book collects both the new novella, The Oracle Queen, as well as the first one, The Young Queens, about the three queens of Three Dark Crowns when they were children.
Starry Eyes – A pair of exes with unresolved issues (and parents who are modern day Capulets and Montagues) are stranded alone together in the woods. This first caught my attention because the cover reminded me of Alex, Approximately. Sure enough, the books are by the same author. That will get me to give this one a try!
Zombie Abbey – A zombified version of Downton Abbey. I don’t read (or watch) zombie things as a rule, but I adore mashups like this, and I have enjoyed some of the author’s other books, so I include this one for those of you who might love a good zombie story. Enjoy!
Books for Adults
Avengers Infinity War Prelude – A graphic novel that sets up the new Avengers movie that releases at the end of the month. If you have seen all of the previous Marvel movies, you probably don’t NEED to read this, but if you love the characters and the stories you may WANT it to whet your appetite.
Cinco de Murder – Book 3 in the Taste of Texas mystery series starring a waitress who is also a part-time reporter. In this book, a chili cook off turns deadly.
Fiction Can Be Murder (April 8) – First in a new Mystery Writer’s Mystery series where an author discovers a murder that fits the details of her new, unpublished novel. I have already pre-ordered this one! I am SO excited! This seems to primarily be an e-book but it looks like you can order a physical copy if you want to track one down.
Good Liar – Three women with a connection to a building that exploded a year ago in Chicago harbor secrets about what happened that day. This sounds fascinating!
Lost Books and Old Bones – Book 3 in the Scottish Bookshop mystery series about a bookseller/amateur sleuth and some antique medical books that lead to murder.
My Lady’s Choosing – A choose-your-own-adventure romance! The whole premise of this – you are a Regency-era young woman faced with a handful of possible suitors – with the choose-your-path format sounds hilarious. I already have this on hold at my library.
No One Ever Asked – Three women are connected to an affluent school that opens its doors to the public school children of a district that loses its accreditation. They each have to face the issues that arise in the transition, both personally and with regard to the school. I am curious to dig into this book and see how it all plays out.
Tart of Darkness – First in the new Chef-to-Go series by Denise Swanson about a chef who opens a catering business and boarding house after inheriting a large house. I am eager to try out this new series.
Wedding Cake Crumble – Book 10 in the fabulous Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery mystery series. I’ve only read book one in this series, but I enjoyed it.
Living a Life You Love: Embracing the Adventure of Being Led by the Holy Spirit – The latest from speaker and teacher Joyce Meyer focuses on enjoying the life that you have.