Final week of the month means LOTS of new books. Here are some of the books that caught my eye for this week:
Books for Kids
I Am Truly – Princess Truly celebrates that she can be anything!
Pug and Pig Trick-or-Treat – New book about Pug and Pig, this time with a Halloween theme. This looks darling!
Ninja in the Kitchen – Early reader about a ninja who makes pizza.
Ariel Makes Waves – A new early chapter book series starring a young Ariel, the Little Mermaid.
Ella and Owen – The Evil Pumpkin Pie Fight – Book 4 in this series about two dragons, this time with a Halloween theme with pumpkin kings and witches.
Rider Woofsen – The Big Bad Wolf – Book 8 in this fun detective series for new chapter book readers.
Secret Agents Jack and Max Stalwart – Former spy Jack Stalwart and his older brother hunt down thieves while on family vacation. In book 2 they are looking for a missing scientist. My son read the original Jack Stalwart books when he was in elementary school and we loved them. The vocabulary was challenging while the story was perfect for his age. Great series. I’m eager to see what this new iteration is like.
Stick Dog Craves Candy – Book 7 in the Stick Dog series, this time with a focus on Halloween.
Hero Dogs! – True stories of animal heroes!
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
Almost Paradise – When Ruby ‘s mother is wrongly jailed for assisting in a robbery, Ruby and her pet pig have to move in with her estranged aunt (who happens to be a nun).
Darkness of Dragons – Book 10 in the Wings of Fire series. I have had this book pre-ordered for months! This is the culmination of the latest 5 book set of this series. Qibli may be Pyrrhia’s last chance to defeat a powerful animus dragon who wants to destroy those who hoped to control him. For me, this is a “drop everything” book. When this hits my mailbox, I will drop everything to dive in!
The Force Oversleeps – Book 5 in the Jedi Academy series (the first three books were done by Jeffrey Brown and this new set is done by Jarrett Krosoczka). Victor is struggling to get to class on time, there are rumors that his sister is a Sith, and he didn’t get the part in the school musical that he wanted. This is a fun series that combines typical school things with a great Star Wars setting. The format resembles a Diary of a Wimpy Kid style with both text and illustrations that seem to be hand drawn by the character.
Ghost of a Chance – Book 2 in the 100 Dresses series about an enchanted castle and a closet of dresses that make the perfect disguise for a girl named Darling. This sounds like a fun series!
Refugee – Three kids from different times (1930s, 1994, 2015) and places (Nazi Germany, Cuba, Syria) are searching for safety and refuge. This book is getting a LOT of positive buzz already. Timely story.
Five Elements – The Shadow City – Book 2 in this series about four kids who are magically connected to the elements who are trying to destroy a parallel dimension. This series sounds perfect for kids who love mystical fantasy stories!
Wandmaker’s Apprentice – Book 2 in the Wandmaker’s series about a boy descended from wandmakers who inherits magical powers. In this book, Henry hopes to to be chosen as the Wand Master’s apprentice.
16 Ways to Break a Heart – A couple gets together with extreme chemistry and witty banter. Their break up is just as feisty. Then Natalie leaves Dan 16 letters, hidden in places only he would find, that detail their relationship and break up in ways he never expected.
Everything All At Once – When Lottie’s Aunt Helen, famous mystery writer – dies, she leaves Lottie a series of letters and tasks to get her to a take a risk. Not an unusual premise, but I love the writing/literary piece in this one, so this is definitely on my TBR list.
First We Were IV – A quartet of teens forms a secret society to right wrongs and pay back debts, but things start to spiral out of control. Sounds like a suspenseful thriller!
In 27 Days – Death offers a teen the chance to go back 27 days in time to try to prevent the suicide of a classmate. I am so looking forward to reading this one!
The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash – Two teens make a connection but a tragedy threatens to pull them apart. This sounds like a pretty basic teen story, but the description of the characters and their “nerdy banter” makes it a high priority on my TBR list.
Lucky in Love – A girl wins the lottery and watches everything around her change – and not all for the better. This reminds me of the book Windfall, except the main character in this book is the winner instead of an outside observer.
Solo – A new novel in verse (and music lyrics) by Kwame Alexander about musician Blade and his search for himself both at home and in Africa. I’ll be reviewing this book later this week. (Some sources have this releasing on August 1)
Grades, Girls and God: How to Survive and Thrive in High School as a Christian Man (July 28) – Really looking forward to reading this book that talks to high school boys about becoming and staying men of God in high school. As I have a teen, I am hoping this is a great resource for him.
Books for Adults
A Toast to Murder – Book 5 in the Mack’s Bar mystery series about a group of “barstool detectives.” I’ve read positive reviews for this series. Book one, Murder on the Rocks, is on my TBR list.
Come Helen High Water – Book 4 in the River Road Mystery series about sleuth Helen Evans who searches for the missing head of the Historical Society. I loved Susan McBride’s Debutante Dropout series, but I haven’t had a chance to check out this series yet, but it is on my list!
Deadfall – Book 19 in the Alexandra Cooper series about an Assistant DA and two NYPD detectives who hunt for an assassin.
Gather the Daughters – A dystopian story about a community that colonized on an island after a national disaster. The children run wild while the men run the island and the women serve as wives and mothers until they die. When one of the children sees something horrifying, one of the teen girls who is resisting her future decides to investigate the mysteries of the island. I am fascinated by this concept and can’t wait to read the book.
Knot What You Think – Book 5 in the Quilting Mystery series about a quilting circle that looks into local mysteries. I’ve read the first book in the series, and I enjoyed it.
Muffin to Fear – Book 5 in the Merry Muffin Mystery series about a muffin baker who inherits a castle. In this particular book, a ghost-hunting TV crew comes to investigate the castle.
Murder at Chateau sur Mer – Book 5 in the Guilded Newport Mystery series about a society report in the 19th century in Rhode Island. I’m not familiar with this series, but I’d like to read book 1, Murder at the Breakers.
Wrong Side of the Paw – Book 6 in the Bookmobile Cat mystery series. I love this series about a librarian who runs a bookmobile to the remote areas of her community and her charming cat, Eddie.
Star Trek: Boldly Go, Vol 1 – Graphic novel collecting issues 1-6 of the comic Boldy Go. I have been collecting this comic since the first issue, and I love it! If I didn’t already have the comics, I would be getting this collection so I could have these issues all together.
Sacred Mundane: How to Find Freedom, Purpose and Joy – Finding God in the everyday spaces of life. I’m looking forward to reading this one.