Happy July! And for my American readers, happy Independence Day this week! If you are looking for something to read over your holiday time off, here are some suggestions from books out this week.
Books for Kids
Mabel Beecher Future Teacher (July 2) – A kindergarten student takes things into her own hands when her beloved teacher goes on maternity leave. I can’t wait to read this one!
Crayola: The Secrets of the Cool Colors and Hot Hues – This Early Reader is part of the Science of Fun Stuff series, which I adore. This and the History of Fun Stuff are both amazing series to get kids excited about history, science and nonfiction books. This one explores the science behind crayons. The history of Crayola will release later this fall.
Mr. Monkey Bakes a Cake – A banana-loving monkey bakes a cake. First in a new series. Looks adorable.
Home Again – Book 4 in this sweet transitional chapter book series. In this book, the animals try to save their home when tragedy strikes in the midst of wedding plans.
Tale of a Scaredy-Dog – Book 3 in the Bea Garcia transitional chapter book series about an artist and her canine best friend. This looks terrific!
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
Bumblebee at Super Hero High – Book 6 in the awesome DC Super Hero High series. This book focuses on Bumblebee and a problem with the world’s honey supply.
The Door to the Lost – A new fantasy book about magical kids in a world that doesn’t trust magic – refugees with no memory of their lives before. This sounds like a book I will love.
Max’s Story – Book 4 in the Dog’s Purpose series for kids. I loved the first book in this series, Ellie’s Story. This will be perfect for kids who love animal books.
Not So Normal Norbert (July 2) – A new series kicks off from James Patterson, this one starring a rule-following kid in a dystopian version of the future. One hilarious choice gets Norbert banished to another planet where he sees that being not-so-normal can be a lot of fun. I don’t generally read Patterson’s books (I’ve read a few but none became favorites), but the premise of this one sounds fantastic.
Power Play – Book 2 in the Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls series where the girls go out on their first mission. Sounds like a fun series.
Where the Watermelons Grow – A girl looks for solutions to her mother’s mental illness and her father’s frantic efforts to save the family farm. This sounds like a powerful story.
Copycat – A new teen thriller about a girl who discovers life is imitating art when a local murder fits the facts of a popular book series. This is at the top of my reading list for the week.
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe – The daughter of two astronauts finds herself orphaned and alone on a space craft. Contact with the captain of another craft coming to meet her helps with the loneliness, but their relationship uncovers information that will change everything. Yep, this is on my list, too.
Star Wars Maker Lab – 20 craft and science projects with a Star Wars theme.
Star Wars The Rebel Files – Background information on the characters and events of Star Wars.
Books for Adults
Black Chamber – This kicks off a new alternate history series where Teddy Roosevelt had a second term as president right before WWI and had the spies of Black Chamber as his allies. I’m curious about this series. I’ll be looking for this one at the library. (Trade Paperback*)
The Calculating Stars – Book 1 in the new Lady Astronaut series about an alternate history where a meteorite wiped out most of the east coast of the United States in 1952 and accelerated efforts to colonize space. I’ll be looking for this one as well. (Trade Paperback*)
The House at Saltwater Point – Book 2 in the Lavender Tides series about a house flipper who is searching for her missing sister. (Trade paperback*)
Italian Iced – Book 3 in the Ethnic Eats series (This actually released last week in paperback*) This is not a series I have tried, but it sounds terrific!
Killer Green Tomatoes – Book 2 in the Farm-to-Fork Mystery series by Lynn Cahoon, a writer I enjoy. I haven’t tried this series yet, but it’s on my list. (Trade Paperback*)
The Last Time I Lied – Three girls sneak out of their camp cabin, leaving the youngest roommate, Emma, behind. And they never return. Now that Emma is an adult, she returns to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor, determined to find out what really happened to the others. This sounds terrific! (Hardcover*)
Scandal Above Stairs – Book 2 in the Kat Holloway Mystery series. This time Kat looks into some missing art work. I really enjoyed book one, and I’m eager to check out the sequel. (Trade Paperback*)
White Hot Grief Parade: A Memoir – I enjoy reading Memoirs, and this one about a girl who loses her father and finds her drama camp friends moving in to help with the grieving season sounds fascinating. (Hardcover*)
The Write Thing – YA author extraordinaire, Kwame Alexander brings teachers a resource for Writing Workshop. If I was still teaching, this would be a resource I would have pre-ordered so I could read it right away and incorporate it in my plans for the fall.
*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.