Today in America we are honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr for his work in the area of Civil Rights. We still have so far to go, but I am grateful for the ground gained in the last 60 years.
Here are some of the books releasing this week.
Books for Kids
Grow, Candace, Grow – A second picture book from Hallmark movie star Candace Cameron Bure, this one about a little girl who wants a garden to grow faster.
Lawrence, the Bunny Who Wanted to Be Naked – Lawrence’s mother always dresses him in interesting clothes, but he would rather run naked like other bunnies.
Swim Swim Sink – What are ducklings to do when the last one in the line sinks when she should swim? I can’t wait to see this one in person.
Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis’ Fleet-of-Foot Girl – Picture Book biography
Earth Hour: A Lights-Out Event for Our Planet – Describes a world-wide event where everyone turns off non-essential electricity for one hour.
Bug Dipping, Bug Sipping – Explore the world of bugs.
The Adventures of Allie and Amy: The Best Friend Plan – First in a new series. The girls make plans together for their summer before finding out one of them is going to be going away to camp.
Little Goddess Girls: Aphrodite and the Gold Apple – Book 3 in the series. Aphrodite hopes Zeus will give her the gift of likability so she can be a better friend, but at the same time she finds a magical gold apple and keeps it a secret from the other girls.
Mack Rhino, Private Eye: The Big Race Lace Case – Mack is about to investigate his 100th case!
Pet Rescue Adventures: The Loneliest Kitten AND The Puppy Who Couldn’t Sleep – New additions to the Pet Rescue Adventures series.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
Catherine’s War – Inspired by a true story. A girl records her life with a camera while everything changes – her name, her home, her future – because of the Nazi occupation of France.
Green Lantern: Legacy – A new DC graphic novel. When a teen inherits his grandmother’s jade ring he discovers the Green Lantern Corps.
The Mystwick School of Musicraft – When a girl bombs her audition to get in to a music school that teaches magic, they offer her a second chance, but only on a trial basis. She is determined to stay, even if it means pretending to be someone she isn’t. But it might just be that as herself she is exactly what the school needs.
The Runaway Princess (Graphic Novel) – A bored princess leaves her home in search of adventure.
Sunnyside Plaza – A woman with developmental disabilities living in a group home/community center decides to help investigate some suspicious deaths at the home. This is an unusual premise for a middle grade story. I’m curious about this one!
The Hand on the Wall – The third and final book in the Truly Devious series. Stevie has solved the mystery of Truly Devious, but three people are already dead. Missing and dead folks, both in the past and the present, mean there are plenty of questions and puzzles for Stevie to investigate. But when a massive storm approaches and the Academy is evacuated, Stevie stays behind to confront a murderer and settle things once and for all.
Layoverland – After the worst day ever, where she betrayed her beloved little sister, Beatrice wakes up in purgatory after a fatal accident. In order to get to heaven she will have to help 5,000 other people figure out what is keeping them from moving into eternity. This is so quirky I have to check it out!
Not So Pure and Simple – A teen who spots his first opportunity to connect with his longtime crush inadvertently signs on to a purity pledge at their church. His friend thinks he’s crazy, but he’s determined to make his move and somehow get the girl.
Rogue Princess – “A gender-swapped sci-fi retelling of Cinderella.” Yes, please! A princess determined to find love steals a spaceship to flee an arranged marriage and discovers a handsome stowaway inside.
Spell Hacker – While this was supposed to be their last magic heist, Diz and her friends discover not only a new strain of magic more powerful than anyone has ever seen but also a conspiracy about what led their world into the situation they are in. This sounds fascinating! (LGBTQ+)
Tweet Cute – Daughter of the family that runs a huge fast food chain – Big League Burger – manages their immensely popular Twitter account. The son of the family that runs the local deli feels like Big League Burger has stolen a family recipe used in their store. When he takes to Twitter to get justice, his Twitter feud goes viral. The teens have no idea, though, who they are battling on Twitter or that they are also communicating on an anonymous chat app – and falling for each other. I can not WAIT to read this one!
Wardens of Eternity – The last descendant of Egyptian royalty must learn to harness her magic, leverage her relationship with the Egyptian gods, and fight Hitler’s Nazis who want her power for themselves. Amazing!
What I Carry – A girl about to age out of foster care has learned to keep her distance from anything she might not be able to take with her due to the transitory nature of her life – that especially includes people. But in her last year before “freedom” she meets some people who could change her thinking about relationships and keeping to herself. I asked the library for this one weeks ago!
Books for Adults
Careless Whiskers (Hardcover) – Book 12 in the Cat in the Stacks mystery series. Diesel and Charlie are sleuthing again when Charlie’s daughter is the prime suspect in a murder.
A Case for the Winemaker (Trade Paperback) – First in the new Ainsley McGregor series. Ainsley has put everything into her new business venture, an artisan market. Everything is going well – until she finds the dead body. Her best friend is a suspect and her brother the sheriff doesn’t want her help. But Ainsley is determined to find out who done it.
Entitled to Kill (e-book) – Book 2 of the St Marin’s Cozy Mystery series. A bookstore owner stumbles across a body at the local farm-to-table shop.
Loki: The God Who Fell to Earth (Graphic Novel) – A comics collection starring a resurrected Loki, sent to Midgard to be “Earth’s Mightiest Hero.” When he seeks out Tony Stark for some advice, he finds that Tony hasn’t forgotten all the problems Loki caused in the past. This sounds fun!
The Protective One (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Walnut Creek series. A young Mennonite woman breaks off her engagement, riling her family. But her decision means she is open to true love and a purpose she might not have found otherwise. This sounds fantastic!
A Queen in Hiding (Trade Paperback) – First in the new Nine Realms series, with new books releasing monthly. An orphaned princess in exile must learn to master her magic, inspire an army of rebels, and wrest her throne back from the corrupt aristocracy that stole it from her.
Fight of the Century: Writers Reflect on 100 Years of Landmark ACLU Cases (Hardcover) – Original pieces inspired by ACLU cases.
Jesus, Friend of My Soul: Reflections for the Lenten Journey (Trade Paperback) – A book of reflections/meditations for Lent.
Jesus: The God Who Knows Your Name (Hardcover) – The latest from Max Lucado focuses on the life of Jesus, his interactions with others, and the rhythm of his earthly life.