Happy August! Around here, August means back to school, so we are enjoying our last couple days of summer break before kicking back into our school routine. For me, that still includes books! I can’t read as much during the school year as I do during the summer, but there are tons of books for me to look forward to to kick this school year off right!
Books for Kids
Attack of the 50-foot Fluffy – A little girl and her stuffed bunny try to deal with a day when everything goes wrong. I have seen a few pages of this and it looks outstanding! I can’t wait to read the entire thing. If the humor and story live up to the sample pages, this will be a must buy.
Hurricane in Texas (Magic Tree House) – The latest transitional chapter book from the Magic Tree House series. This is numbered as book 30, although I know there was already a book 30 when she wrote the Merlin Missions. So maybe they have restarted the counting and set those stories off to the side. But if your kid is a fan of this series, you won’t want to miss the latest book!
The Princess and the Absolutely Not a Princess – A new transitional chapter book series about a princess and a not-a-princess who struggle to get along in their third grade class. I’ll be reviewing this one in a couple weeks.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
The Dollar Kids – A kid looking for a fresh start after the shooting death of his friend finds a town selling homes for $1. But the homes are in pretty rough shape and the community is less than welcoming. Maybe they’ve traded one set of problems for another. I am looking forward to reading this one!
The Girl with the Dragon Heart (Aug 9) – Book 2 in the Tales from the Chocolate Heart series. A girl with a gift for storytelling (and a dragon as a best friend) is asked to spy on the fairy royal family, but she has reasons of her own for not trusting them. I have both books in this series on my TBR list!
Out of the Bottle (GN) – Book 5 in the DC Super Hero Girls graphic novel series which focuses on Harley Quinn. I’m looking forward to reviewing this one later this fall!
Royal Crown – Book 4 in the From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess series by Meg Cabot. I loved the first couple books in this series about Princess Mia’s younger half sister. This time Princess Olivia is looking forward to Mia’s coronation, but her cousins are plotting to take the throne.
Wish Upon a Sleepover – A girl looking to fit in with the popular crowd ends up with her DO NOT invite list coming to her sleepover. I am so looking forward to reading this one! I enjoy the author’s work so much. I’ll be reviewing this one later this fall.
Eleanor Roosevelt, Fighter for Justice: Her Impact on the Civil Rights Movement, the White House, and the World – New nonfiction for middle grade readers about First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. I am fascinated by the Roosevelt family and am looking forward to reading this one.
Fearless Faith – A devotional for girls from author Melanie Shankle. Includes fun activities and places to make notes. This looks delightful. I can’t wait to see it in person.
Who Was Selena? AND Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen? – The latest from the Who Was series.
#MurderTrending – Dystopian novel for teens about a world where criminal executions are broadcast live online. The premise of this is fascinating, so this is at the top of my list for this week.
Catwoman: Soulstealer – Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn have teamed up to cause problems for Gotham while Batman is away. This one is also at the top of my TBR list for the week.
The Forest Queen – A female Robin Hood story. A young woman frustrated by her brother’s mistreatment of the locals around their estate runs away to the woods to join others who want to right wrongs and look out for the folks in need. Sounds great!
Heretics Anonymous – An atheist is the newest student at a strict Catholic school where he meets up with the other outcasts – the girl who wants to be a priest, the pagan, and the boy who is Jewish and gay – who want to challenge the hypocrisy in their school. This appeals to my oppositional streak, so I have already requested this one from the library.
The Last Best Story – Two teens who may have missed their opportunity for romance together get one last chance. This sounds AWESOME! I’ve requested this one, too.
Nine – In an alternate universe humans have nine lives. Each new life is a mental and physical upgrade and the government incentivizes death to control overpopulation. One teen who is reluctant to burn through his lives discovers some flaws in the system. What a fascinating premise! This is on the list (The list is LONG.)
The Other Side of Lost – A girl who confesses the lies in her online existence and suffers the backlash goes on a hike of the John Muir Trail (Sierra Nevada Mountain Range) in search of herself. Sounds great.
Smothered – A story told in text messages, journal entries, etc. of a college graduate who has to move home while she finds a job and the mom who wants her to stay. Yep, that’s my third library request of the week.
These Rebel Waves – Two lands at war – one ruled by magic and the other by religion. Three key figures trying to ferret out the truth from the lies that will determine the future for both countries. This sounds like the sort of story that I love. This is on the list, too. (I wonder if Amazon has a limit on how many items you can have in one wish list….)
Girls Resist: A Guide to Activism, Leadership and Starting a Revolution – A social justice and activism manual geared to teens.
Books for Adults
Alternate Routes – Alternate worlds, phantom freeways, and a former secret service agent being hunted for a secret he learned while on the job. You’ll just have to go to Goodreads for the full description because it is too intricate to summarize in a sentence or two. But this sounds just weird enough to be something I will enjoy. This is on my list. (*Hardcover)
Fletch – Looks like this is a reissue of the first book of the Fletch mystery series. Yes, the Chevy Chase movie, Fletch. I am eager to read this one and see how it measures up to the movie. (*Trade Paperback)
Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding – Book 12 in the Royal Spyness mystery series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first few books in this series back when they first came out, but I haven’t been able to keep up with it. If you love historical mysteries, you should try this series. This particular story sounds so terrific, I might have to jump back into this series. (*Hardcover)
The Hope Jar – First in a new Prayer Jars series from Wanda Brunstetter. A young woman assumes the identity of a long lost Amish girl, but when the lies grow out of control she doesn’t know how to get out of them without hurting the family she has grown to love. This sounds delightful! (*Trade Paperback)
Our House – A woman comes home to find strangers moving into her house. She and her estranged husband had been taking turns living in the home with their children, but now he and the children are gone. I have this one on hold already at the library – I’m not sure I am going to be able to juggle all of my requests and holds if I’m not careful. There are just too many books out this week that I want to read! (*Hardcover)
Prisoner in the Castle – Book 8 in the Maggie Hope mystery series. I loved the first book and have the rest on my TBR shelves. In this one, Maggie is in prison because she knows too many secrets. When the prisoners around her start dropping dead, Maggie knows she needs to find out what is truly going on before she is next. (*Hardcover)
To Catch a Witch – Book 8 in the Wishcraft mystery series. A friend of Darcy’s is killed the morning of the annual Wicked Mad Dash and Darcy must investigate. I’ll be reviewing this one later this week. (*Hardcover)
Toucan Keep a Secret – Book 23 in the Meg Langslow series. I adore this series, and the latest book was a treat. Meg discovers a body in the church crypt while she is helping look after things for their priest who is on maternity leave. I’ll be reviewing this one later this month. (*Hardcover)
Eat at Home Tonight: 101 Simple Busy-Family Recipes for your Slow-Cooker, Sheet Pan, Insta Pot and More – I am all about simple meals for our family! (*Paperback)
The Eternal Current: How a Practice-Based Faith Can Save Us from Drowning – Husband of author Shauna Niequist, Aaron Niequist, brings this book about spiritual practices. Fans of his wife should give this one a look. (*Hardcover at a Trade paperback price)
The Great Grilled Cheese Book: Grown-Up Recipes for a Childhood Classic – The title says it all! (*Hardcover at a Trade paperback price)
In the Name of the Father: Family, Football and the Manning Dynasty – A biography of the football family of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning (*Hardcover)
The Legend of Me: An Epic Do-It-Yourself Autobiography – A guided journal for recording the details of your life.(*Hardcover at a Trade paperback price)
Unshakable Hope: Building Our Lives on the Promises of God – The latest from Max Lucado looks at twelve of God’s promises. There is also a study guide and a prayer book for the series. (*Hardcover)
*I’ve noticed that publishers have shifted some of their new mystery series to Trade paperback (full size paperback with a sale price around $15 or $16) or hardcover (with a sale price around $25) instead of Mass Market paperback which runs around $8. When I think of it, I’ll try to note the format so readers can plan their book budgets – and trips to the library – accordingly.