Welcome to the first post of new books coming this August. There are tons of things to get excited about this week including new Star Wars books for kids, new graphic novels, a Spider-Man book for teens, and several new Christian Living titles. Here they are:
Books for Kids
Confiscated – When two brothers keep fighting, Mama keeps taking things away until they have nothing left.
Dogosaurus Rex – This sounds a lot like Silly Doggy and Naughty Kitty, except this time the pet not quite behaving is a dinosaur instead of a dog.
Little Red Ruthie: A Hanukkah Tale – A new take on a classic favorite, Red Ridinghood gets a Hanukkah spin.
Ace!/Jumpa!/Krypto!/Streaky! – This series for young readers focuses on the pets of super heroes like Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman and Supergirl.
The Boy Who Cried Vampire/The Lion, The Mouse and the Invaders from Zurg/Robo Battle of Mega Tortoise vs. Hazard Hare/The Ugly Dino Hatching – Four new graphic novels in the Far Out Fabels series. I adore these fractured fairy tales! I bought some of the Far Out Fairy Tales series for the library when I was teaching, and my students loved them.
Secret Ninja Force – Early Reader focused on the story of the LEGO Ninjago Movie.
SW Forces of Destiny: Meet the Heroes – This Early Reader looks at the many female heroes of Star Wars.
SW Forces of Destiny, Volume 1 – Looks at the stories of Sabine, Rey and Padmé in this Early Reader format. Volume 2, out in October, will look at Jyn, Ahsoka and Leia.
Amazo and the Planetary Reboot – New addition to the Justice League series.
A Big Day for Baseball – Book 29 in the Magic Tree House series. Looks like Magic Tree House might be spinning off the Merlin Mission stories and picking up the regular series again with #29. This time Jack and Annie will get to be bat boys in 1947.
Bright Lights Big Kitty – Book 4 in the Animal Inn series for young readers about an animal spa.
Catwoman’s Purrfect Plot – A new Batman and Robin adventure.
Fishin’: Impossible – Book 8 in the Shark School series
Hooray! My Butt Left the Bench! – Book 10 in the Here’s Hank series, a younger reader’s version of the Hank Zipzer books.
The Missing Mola Lisa – New mystery series about 2nd grade crime solvers.
Baseball Fact Tracker – Nonfiction companion to the latest Magic Tree House book, A Big Day for Baseball.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
The Catacombs of Chaos/The Eagle of Rome – These are the first two books in the Lottie Lipton Adventures series. Lottie is an investigator who lives at the British Museum. I’ll be reviewing The Eagle of Rome next week here on the blog.
Confessions from the Principal’s Kid – During school she is an outsider because her mom is the principal, but after school she is part of the in-crowd of students whose parents are teachers. But what Allie really wants is to be on the popular math team so she can feel like an insider during the school day, too. As a former teacher, and a former teacher’s kid, I am looking forward to this one!
The Countdown Conspiracy – Six kids are chosen for a mission to Mars. When one of them starts receiving threats, the whole mission might be scrapped.
The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo – A kid who longs for adventure may just get his wish when his parents are kidnapped, and he bands together with his butler, his nemesis, and his pet cobra to save the day.
Dinosaur Empire – Book 1 in the Earth Before Us graphic novel series about a girl who travels back in time to learn about the dinosaurs before her big test.
Friday Barnes No Rules – Book 4 in the fantastic Friday Barnes mystery series. In this story, Friday is looking for a prankster who fired all the teachers. I’ve already pre-ordered this one, and I’m excited to dive in as soon as it gets here.
The Loser’s Club – The latest book from Andrew Clements focuses on a boy who starts a club at school so he has time to read without getting hassled. He expects to be the only club member, but he is in for a surprise. I have adored Clements’ earlier books like No Talking and Frindle. This one is near the top of my wish list for this week.
Royal Crush – Book 3 in the From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess series by Meg Cabot. This is a Princess Diaries series for younger readers. I loved the first two books in this series, and I’m excited to see what happens next for Princess Olivia (half-sister of Princess Mia).
Surfside Girls: Secret of Danger Point – Graphic novel – first in a new series – about a girl who starts seeing strange things after swimming through an underwater cave.
Tiny Tim – Book 11 in the Dog Diaries series
Zinnia and the Bees – A young girl’s older brother/best friend has disappeared and a hive of bees have found a home in her hair. What else could possibly happen? This book has been getting a lot of positive buzz (pardon the pun) online all summer. I’m looking forward to reading this.
A Kid’s Guide to the Names of God – A kid’s study resource or maybe devotional, looking into the names of God from the Bible.
Genius: The Con – Sequel to Genius: The Game. I will review this one later this week.
Just Friends – Two kids fool the whole school into believing that they have been best friends for years. But the ones they might be lying to the most are themselves. This sounds terrific.
Miles Morales, Spider-Man – Latest in an exciting series of original YA stories about various superheroes (Black Widow, Iron Man, with Wonder Woman and Batman coming later this year). In this story, Miles is starting to wonder if he should even be Spider-Man any more when he discovers a plot that puts his friends and his neighborhood at risk. I’m not much of a Spider-Man fan – although I loved the Spider-Man: Homecoming movie this summer – but this story sounds intriguing, and I want to give it a try.
The Secret History of Us – A young girl has lost four years of her memory after a car accident. I’ve noticed more of this memory-loss books lately. They are a great way of exploring identity.
Solo – A young man on the brink of finishing high school and starting college finds his world crumbling around him, leading him to Ghana, Africa to find himself. I reviewed this one last week.
Truthers – A teen is drawn into the world of conspiracy theorists who believe 9/11 was part of a government conspiracy.
#Truth: 365 Devotions for Teens Connecting Life and Faith – Each month has a different emphasis, from the TRUTH that God exists to the TRUTH about Christ’s return. Looks like a great resource for teens looking for a daily devotional.
Books for Adults
The Assault – Book 2 in the Harbringer series which pulls together 4 renowned Christian authors writing about a group of strangers drawn together to fight a dark force. Book one was a bit much for me, but readers who like their fiction a little spookier might enjoy this series.
Cat About Town – First in the Cat Cafe mystery series about a town newcomer who finds a stray cat who in turn finds a dead body. Sounds like a fun start to a series.
Chime and Punishment – Book 3 in the Clock Shop mystery series. I have book 1 on my TBR shelves.
Dressed to Confess – Book 3 in the Costume Shop mystery series about a crime-solving costume shop owner. I’ve not read any of these, but the description of this story (murder at a board game-themed festival) makes me want to run out and grab book 1, A Disguise to Die For, to get caught up!
Gone Gull – Book 21 in the fabulous Meg Langslow mystery series. This is one of my favorite cozy mysteries. I absolutely adore the main character and her family. I’ve had this one on hold from the library for weeks already.
On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service – Book 11 in the Royal Spyness mystery series. I read the early books in this series and really enjoyed them. In this book, Lady Georgiana is on a spy mission for the queen while she checks in on a pregnant friend.
A Tangled Yarn – Book 5 in the Yarn Retreat mystery series about a baker running a crafting retreat.
All in All Journaling Devotional: Loving God Wherever You Are – 100 devotions with journaling prompts. This sounds great.
Discovering Hope in the Psalms: A Creative Bible Study Experience – A creative study of 10 Psalms of Hope. I’m eager to see this in person.
The Gospel Centered Mom:The Freeing Truth about what Your Kids Really Need – This one is on my list, too! This will join a pile of other books on my TBR about recognizing that you don’t have to be everything because Christ is enough.
He’s Not Lazy: Empowering Your Son to Believe in Himself – Your “lazy” teen boy may actually be conflicted and afraid to fail. I’m eager to read this one.