December is here, and there are plenty of new books releasing this month to keep you reading right on through the end of the year! Here are some of the books out this week:
Books for Kids
Louise and the Class Pet – From the author of Louise Loves Art, a darling picture book, comes book 2 in an Early Reader series starring Louise.
A Puppy for Helen Keller (Tails from History) – Book 3 in the Tails from History Early Reader series, this time about Helen Keller and her Akita dog from Japan.
Dog Diaries – Patterson’s Middle School series now for young readers, told through the eyes of Rafe’s dog, Junior. I’m curious about this one. I love books where the animals tell the story in their own “voice.”
Dragon Quest – Book 3 in the reissued Dragonling series. I loved the first one, although I wish the internal illustrations had been redone by the cover artist. In this book Darek and his dragon are trying to stop the kidnapping of a baby dragon. This story sounds great!
It’s Not Easy Being Mimi – Book 1 in a new chapter book series about a girl named Mimi and her cat Marvin who are trying to adjust to a new neighbor.
Beavers: Superpower Field Guide – First in a new illustrated nonfiction series for kids about animal “superpowers.”
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
Never Evers – A middle school ski trip doesn’t go quite as planned when a boy goes on the trip looking for his first kiss, but a big pop star shows up and has his eye on the same girl. With the kissing/dating pieces, this is obviously for older middle grade readers.
North to Benjamin – A boy and his mother head to northwestern Canada as his mom looks for a new guy whose heart she will eventually break. The boy pours his heart out to a dog as he tries to protect his new friends from his mom’s bad choices. This is an adventure story full of complicated family dynamics. Another one for an older middle grade audience.
Who Was Napoleon? AND Who Was Nikola Tesla? – The latest in the Who Was series
The Expedition – Book two in a teen dystopian series following The Initiation. Drayden and his friends venture out of New America (Manhattan) and brave the supervirus that wiped out most of humanity on a quest to contact another civilization in the old area of Boston. I’ve just started the first book in this series.
Fire & Heist – A fantasy story of a girl who is part-dragon trying to save her family from losing everything when her mom goes missing and her family is stripped of their place in wyvern (were-dragon) society. This was outstanding! I can’t wait to post my full review in a few weeks.
Once a King – Book 3 in the Clash of Kingdoms series. This seems to be set a few years in the future from the first two books in the series. I think I have book 1 on my TBR shelves. This series sounds like my sort of book – kings and kingdoms and magic.
Realm of Ruins – A girl with uncontrollable magic may be the only hope for stopping an ancient evil. I have requested this one from the library.
Unpresidented – A biography for teens about our 45th president.
Books for Adults
The Accidental Beauty Queen (Paperback) – A beauty queen wannabe drags her elementary school librarian twin to a pageant but needs her twin to fill in for her when she has an allergic reaction to something. I already have this one on hold from the library!
Catch Me If Yukon (Paperback) – Book 12 in the Passport to Peril mystery series. This time there’s a murder on a seniors tour of Alaska – and the culprit seems to be… Bigfoot. This sounds fun!
Claws for Celebration (Paperback) – Book 3 in the Cat Lady Mystery series about a murder at a holiday cookie bake off. You can read my review of book one here.
The Decoy Date (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 4 in a romance series of stand alone stories. In this one, a guy proposes a fake relationship with his best friend to help her egg on the target of her affection. Neither of them ever expected to have more-than-friends feelings for one another. This sounds cute! I’ve requested this at the library, too.
Eggs on Ice (Hardcover) – Book 8 in the Cackleberry Club Mystery series is another mystery set at Christmas. This time, a local curmudgeon playing Scrooge is stabbed by the Ghost of Christmas Past. I have several of these books on my TBR shelves. This one sounds like a great holiday mystery!
Murder at the Mill (Hardcover) – First in a new series. A woman new to town is commissioned to paint a portrait of a local crime writer. At Christmas, a member of his family finds a dead body. I’m curious to find out more about this new series.
The Teacher’s Bride (Paperback) – This has been the year of Amish books for me – I’ve never really read many before. This is the fourth book in the Amish Brides of Birch Creek series. In this one, a man who comes to town to be the new school teacher and to find a wife, finds himself out of commission and having to trust his classroom to a unexpected, and unconventional replacement. This looks cute. I’ve requested this from the library, too.
Biblical Grandparenting: Exploring God’s Design for Disciple-Making and Passing Faith to Future Generations (Paperback) – A leadership book for grandparenting ministry.
Never Grow Up (Hardcover) – A memoir from Jackie Chan.