Happy February! There are a TON of new books releasing this week. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Books for Kids – Board Books and Picture Books
Blankie AND Bubbles (Board books) – Two new board books celebrating imagination and friendship from the author of the Narwhal and Jelly series.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Board book) – A board book version of this classic story.
Flashlight Night: An Adventure in Trusting God – When a boy wonders why God isn’t answering his prayers, his mother uses their prayer wall and a flashlight to teach him about faith. This looks lovely!
A Girl’s Bill of Rights – A declaration of the rights for every girl and woman.
The Great Passover Escape – Animals escape from the zoo to search for a Seder they can attend. This looks darling!
Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket – Sadie and her stuffed animal crew plan for a trip to Mars!
What About X? – When the alphabet goes on a camping trip, X can’t think of something to bring that starts with x.
Grace Banker and the Hello Girls Answer the Call: The Heroic Story of WWI Telephone Operators – The true story of Grace Banker’s role in the Signal Corps in WWI.
Little People, Big Dreams: Megan Rapinoe AND Stevie Wonder – Picture book biographies.
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre – The story of Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre from 1921.
Books for Kids – Chapter Books
Diary of a Pug: Pug’s Got Talent – Book 4 in the Diary of a Pug series. Bub has to work with his arch nemesis, Duchess the cat, to save Bella’s pet talent show.
Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly: The Coldfire Curse AND Shadow Hills (Graphic Novel) – The first two books of the Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly series are given the graphic novel treatment.
Give it a Try, Yasmin! – Four new Yasmin stories.
King & Kayla and the Case of the Gold Ring – Book 7 in the King and Kayla series. When their friend Asia loses her ring in the snow, King and Kayla are on the case.
Owl Diaries: Eva at the Beach – Book 14 in the Owl Diaries series. When Eva goes to the beach with her best friend, she is afraid to go into water.
Pup Detectives: The First Case AND The Tiger’s Eye (Graphic Novel) – The first two books in the Pup Detectives graphic novel series. Pup Detective Rider Woofson learns there are other puppy sleuths at his school, so they all team up to solve mysteries. This looks darling!
Super Turbo Saves the Day AND Super Turbo vs the Flying Ninja Squirrels (Graphic Novel) – The first two Super Turbo books get the graphic novel treatment.
Flash Facts (Graphic Novel) – Flash and other DC heroes talk about science and technology. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
She Persisted: Claudette Colvin – Before Rosa Parks protested unfair segregation, teenager Claudette Colvin took a similar stand.
Books for Older Kids/Teens
Brightly Woven (Graphic Novel) – A talented weaver and a young wizard team up to dodge a dark wizard and deliver vital news to the capital to avert a war.
The EngiNerds Strike Back – Book 3 in the fun EngiNerds series (EngiNerds – ♥♥♥♥). The alien who appeared at the end of Revenge of the EngiNerds tells the kids that he’s there to scope out Earth as a site for a new galactic billboard. But if Earth is chosen, the planet would be destroyed to make space.
Girls Just Wanna Have Pugs – When Kat’s parents say she has to pick up an extracurricular activity, she decides to start a dog walking business with her friends.
Ground Zero – On September 11, 2001, a boy is visiting his dad on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center when the planes strike. On September 11, 2019, in Afghanistan, a girl finds an injured American soldier after battle erupts in her village. From the author’s track record, this will be a book you won’t want to miss.
The Hatmakers – When her father goes missing and the magical peace items made by the local guilds cause the opposite of peace, Cordelia is the one who goes searching for answers.
Hilo: Gina, the Girl Who Broke the World (Graphic Novel) – Book 7 in the outstanding HiLo graphic novel series. Book 6, All the Pieces Fit (♥♥♥♥♥), wraps up the initial story arc for the series, so this book launches a new arc starring Gina. Magical beings are showing up on Earth, hunting the Nestor, but only Gina can see them. And Gina is torn between helping the Nestor and walking away from magic all together. I’ll be reviewing this one soon, but the fact that this was in my most favorite of favorites list from 2020 will tell you how much I adored this one!
I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 (Graphic Novel) – A graphic novel adaptation of the original I Survived book.
The Last Bear – There aren’t supposed to be any more polar bears on Bear Island, but one night April sees something distinctly bear-shaped.
The Magical Reality of Nadia – First in a new series. Nadia is looking forward to winning a contest to design a museum exhibit, but a new classmate throws her off her game when he teases her about her Egyptian heritage. But the ancient Egyptian amulet she wears is concealing a secret that could help her confront this other kid and also win the contest.
The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother) – Aidan was missing for six days. When he returns, he tells an outlandish story no one believes. The harder he is pushed on the story, the stronger he sticks to it. Aidan’s brother, Lucas, wants to believe him. And he’s getting worried about Aidan’s response to the conflict. But how can you believe in your own brother’s story whenever everyone else is telling you it can’t possibly be true? I am intrigued by this one!
Rome Reframed (Older Middle Grade) – Book 1 in the Wish & Wander series. Lucas is in danger of failing 8th grade. His family has been traveling the world, and Lucas doesn’t want to be there; he’d rather be home. The school work he is submitting from the trip is subpar. At their last stop in Rome, Lucas has one final chance to submit a stellar project and fix his grades. And help comes from a magical coin that teleports him to ancient Rome. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Shuri: The Vanished – Book 2 in the Shuri series by Nic Stone (Dear Martin – ♥♥♥♥). When Shuri hears of young, gifted female scientists going missing around the world, she is determined to find them. I enjoyed the first book and will be eager to dig into this one.
Strange Academy: First Class (Older Middle Grade – Graphic Novel) – A comics collection of the first six issues of the Strange Academy comic series about Marvel’s first school for sorcerers.
Ultimate Gamer Career Mode (Older Middle Grade) – A handbook for making a career out of gaming including game development, Twitch streaming, and eSports.
Who Was Catherine the Great? AND Who Was Walt Whitman? – New biographies from Who HQ.
You’re God’s Girl Prayer Journal – From the late Wynter Pitts. Devotional thoughts with space to write responses and prayers. The sample pages of this look lovely.
Books for Teens/Young Adults
Crown of Power (e-book, February 5) – Book 4 in the Hidden Mage series. Verene and Darius try to focus on finishing magic school while also protecting their future kingdoms.
Fat Chance Charlie Vega – Discovering her crush asked out her best friend first is the final straw for Charlie Vega who is ready to speak out and stand up to a world that tries to tell her she should be thinner, whiter, and quieter. This one is on my list for this week.
Love in English – An Argentinian teen longs to return home after her family moves to New Jersey. But finding potential love at school AND in her English as a Second Language class is almost as confusing as the rules of English.
Love Is a Revolution – Nala tells a few lies to make herself sound like she has more in common with the activist she meets at Open Mic Night. But as she falls further and further for Tye, her lies start to spin out of her control.
The Obsession – Logan doesn’t think he’s a stalker – he’s “romantic.” But that video camera he has trained on Delilah caught her killing her step-father. And he’s not about to let her forget what he knows. But Delilah is DONE with men controlling her life.
The Project – When their parents died, Lo went to live with a great-aunt while her sister joined The Unity Project. Lo is convinced it’s a cult. And when a man shows up at her newspaper claiming The Unity Project is responsible for the death of his son, she thinks she finally has a chance to prove it. The group’s charismatic leader tells Lo she can investigate and try to prove her suspicions. If she can’t, she has to leave them alone once and for all. But what Lo finds will turn all of her ideas and theories upside down.
Star Wars The High Republic: Into the Dark – Padawan Reath Silas would rather work in the Jedi archives than go on a mission to the edges of civilization with his master. But when disaster strikes, Reath and his traveling companions find themselves on an abandoned space station where strange things start happening. I shared my thoughts on the first three chapters of this book here. Hardly any of the action of the story was touched on in those three chapters, so while I wasn’t impressed with the beginning, the rest of the story sounds fascinating.
A Taste for Love – Liza agrees to help with the family bakery’s junior competition to show her mother she is not “rebellious” or “stubborn” or any of the other usual complaints. What she doesn’t know, though, is that her mother has chosen young men to compete that she wants Liza to date. This one is on my list, too.
This is Not the Jess Show – In 1998, Jess is trying to deal with the crush she has on her best friend, her overprotective parents, and her sister’s declining health when she discovers a mysterious device with an apple logo that leads her to question everything she thought she knew. This thriller is also on my list for this week.
Yesterday is History (LGBTQ+) – Andre’s new transplanted liver comes with a side effect of time travel. When Andre travels to 1969, he is drawn to Michael, who is everything Andre wishes he was. When he returns to the present, though, Andre is drawn to Blake who is teaching him to use this gift while grieving the death of his brother, the source of Andre’s liver. Andre will have to figure out where he belongs before the impact of his new gift catches up with him. A fascinating premise!
Books for Adults – Fiction
18½ Disguises (e-book) – Book 7 in the Maizie Albright Star Detective mystery series. Former TV teen private eye Maizie Albright is still waiting for her own PI licence, but that doesn’t mean she won’t start investigating when an old friend is killed. I am intrigued by this character!
All Fall Down (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Max McLean series. Black Ops British agent Max McLean finds himself framed for murder and on the run.
Beneath the Keep (Hardcover) – Book 4 in the Queen of the Tearling series, this is actually a prequel to the original trilogy about an exiled princess returning to her kingdom and facing off against a sorceress. This book tells the story of the princess’s mother. I have heard great things about the first two books in the trilogy, so I am going to give that a go before diving into this prequel.
Bubble Gum and Blackmail (e-book) – A military vet and former assassin launches a new life as a candy maker. But when bodies start dropping, she can’t help but investigate, even if her former superiors have insisted she not do anything to draw attention to herself. Yes, please! This sounds fun!
Farewell to Murder (e-book, February 4) – Book 2 in the Deadly Paradise Mystery series. (Amazon says this is book 1, but there is an earlier book/prequel, Death in the Afternoon.) Mallory Hemingway, cousin to Ernest Hemingway, is excited to start a new job as the night caretaker at the Hemingway museum. But a series of incidents, including a dead body, cost her the job and leave her the prime suspect in the murder. There are plenty of other suspects, though, so Mallory starts investigating.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (Hardcover) – A struggling novelist discussing the plot of her new book with her agent is mistaken for a contract killer and offered a job. Soon, she is tangled up in a real- life murder. Yes, please! I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Firefly Junction: A Crafty Killing (e-book) – Book 10 in the Firefly Junction Cozy Mystery series. Sunni is covering the Firefly Junction Craft Fair when one of the crafters is killed.
Girls with Bright Futures (Trade Paperback) – When Stanford announces it only has one spot for a student from the high profile Elliott Bay Academy, three mothers discover how high the stakes are when one of the girls is nearly killed in an “accident.”
The Hiker’s Guide to Murder (e-book) – Book 2 in the Southwest Exposure Mystery series. Outdoor guide Andie Sullivan is racing against local law enforcement to find a killer and save the tourist season for her business and her community. Frankly, I want to read these just because the covers are amazing!
Killer Content (Trade Paperback) – Book 1 in the Brooklyn Murder Mystery series. A Bayou transplant adds “sleuth” to her list of new roles when she moves to Brooklyn and a coworker is killed. This sounds great!
The Kindest Lie (Hardcover) – A Black woman on the verge of starting a family decides she needs to make peace with the child she gave birth to as a teen. This takes her back to her hometown where her family harbors secrets they want desperately to keep. While she searches for answers to her personal questions, racial issues in the town threaten to ignite.
Knitted & Knifed (e-book, February 5) – Book 1 in the Knitty Kitty Mystery series. Tessa Wakefield has moved back home to recover from her broken marriage, but she is quickly drawn into her weird family’s antics, helping at her grandfather’s yarn store, and trying to prove her brother innocent of murder. I pre-ordered this weeks ago. It sounds great!
Make Up Break Up (Hardcover) – Her app – Make Up – is all about conflict resolution and repairing failing relationships. His app – Break Up – is all about high efficiency break ups. These rival app developers who once hooked up in Vegas find themselves in direct competition for an award she needs to keep her business afloat.
Much Ado About You (Trade Paperback) – An English holiday – including a temp job at a quaint book store – is just what Evie needs to get some perspective on her life. She doesn’t expect to be so caught up in the lives of the locals, including an irresistible, flirty farmer. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Transformers vs the Terminator: Enemy of My Enemy (Paperback Graphic Novel) – In 1984, the time traveling T-800 goes toe-to-toe with a deadly race of machines.
Trial and Error (Trade Paperback) – When Buddy Smith’s wife took their young daughter and disappeared, he turned his focus to work and built a law practice that specializes in finding missing children. When a local teen goes missing, Buddy partners with a new PI in town as well as the clerk of the county court to find the girl, and he discovers hints about his own daughter’s location along the way. This sounds great!
Winter’s Orbit (LGBTQ+, Hardcover) – When Prince Kiem, the Emperor’s least favorite grandchild, is promised in marriage to a widower who is a suspect in his first husband’s murder, the two will need to work together to discover the truth. The success or failure of their efforts – and their marriage – could impact the survival of the empire. I love the combination of a science fiction/space story with the royal intrigue, so this one is on my list.
Books for Adults – Nonfiction
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 (Hardcover) – A history of African America, edited by Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be Antiracist and Stamped from the Beginning, and Keisha N. Blain, author of Set the World on Fire. Ninety writers take successive blocks of history and approach their years in a variety of ways. This sounds incredible. It is on my list for this week!
Gluten-Free Cooking for Beginners (Paperback) – Includes a sample meal plan, over 100 recipes, and tips and tricks for gluten-free eating. But to be honest, the book is on my list because of that cover. Yum!
The Gospel for Peacemakers (e-book/Paperback) – Last summer I posted a review for The Gospel for Achievers, a devotional for Enneagram 3s. Now the author has a second volume, this time for 9s. I can’t wait for him to get to books for the numbers represented by my family!
That Sounds Fun: The Joys of Being an Amateur, the Power of Falling in Love, And Why You Need a Hobby (Hardcover) – I read my first Annie F. Downs book last year (Remember God – ♥♥♥♥), and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I am looking forward to this new book which is an invitation to embrace fun. This is also on my list for this week.
The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation (Hardcover) – As these three Black women, born at the start of the 20th century, raised their families in light of the racial conditions in society, their lessons, their experiences, and their resilience influenced the Civil Rights leaders of the 1950s and 1960s.