Hope you are enjoying some sunny summer weather wherever you are! Here are some new books out this week that you might want to make part of your summer fun. (If you love pet stories, don’t miss the picture books this week!)
Books for Kids
Cookie AND Elmo (Board Books) – Part of the new Sesame Street Friends series of board books.
Baby’s First Jailbreak (July 11) – Sequel to Baby’s First Bank Heist where Baby Frank tries to rob a bank to get money for a pet. Now Baby Frank has a zoo, but Baby Bruce has opened a rival zoo nearby, and all of Bruce’s animals are unhappy. I can only guess what the “jailbreak” is going to be! This sounds fantastic. I’d love to read both of these.
Grover’s Own Alphabet – Grover bends and contorts his body to make every letter of the alphabet.
Little Unicorn Is Angry AND Little Unicorn Is Scared – A picture book series about strong emotions. When the little unicorn has a strong emotion, his mane changes colors. Books explore breathing techniques to help cope with strong feelings.
Mighty Reader and the Big Freeze – Hugo the Beagle puppy transforms into Mighty Reader whenever his friends run into a reading emergency, like when his friend Barkley freezes up before reading out loud. This sounds ADORABLE!
Not Quite Snow White – Tameika was born to be on stage, but when she tries out for the title roll in a Snow White musical, the other kids mutter about how she is not quite right for the role. I am eager to read this one and see how the author deals with this situation.
The Pawed Piper – A little girl longing for a cat of her own like her grandmother’s beloved Hector sets out dishes of milk and balls of yarn to lure in a pet. But she gets a big surprise when Hector and a bunch of other cats show up – and her neighbors post signs for lost felines. This book is at the top of my picture book wish list. Sounds darling!
A Quieter Story – When a girl starts to write a story about her kitten, he wants one with adventure worthy of a TIGER. But the kitten finds there can be too much of a good thing when he jumps into the more adventurous story she writes.
Truman – Truman the tortoise is alarmed when his Sarah leaves on a big bus for the first time. Oh my goodness, the sample pages for this are so sweet and endearing. This is another must read for me. Cue heart eyes.
Unicorn Is Maybe Not So Great After All – Sequel to Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great. Unicorn is ready to take the school by storm, but a new rubber band trend has already done that, leaving Unicorn feeling not-so-special.
The Invention Hunters Discover How Machines Work AND Discover How Electricity Works – A new series! The Invention Hunters travel the world looking for cool inventions, and with the help of some great kids they discover things about science. These would be cool in classrooms!
Pete the Cat’s Trip to the Supermarket – In this new leveled reader, Pete and his brother help their dad at the grocery store when he loses his shopping list.
Night of Soldiers and Spies – Book 10 in the terrific Ranger in Time series (like Magic Tree House with a dog). This time Ranger is off to the Revolutionary War to help a kid chosen to be a spy for General Washington.
To the Future, Ben Franklin! – Speaking of Magic Tree House, this is the 32nd Magic Tree House story (I think they launched the Merlin Missions into their own line and re-started the counting.). This time, Jack and Annie meet Ben Franklin, and he is very curious about their tree house.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray – The first book in the new Elements of Genius series that has been described as Oceans 11 meets Spy School. When Nikki’s death ray accidentally blows up her bedroom, she is sent to Genius Academy to learn to channel her ideas. But when her death ray is stolen she’ll have to team up with her fellow geniuses to track down the thief. I can not WAIT to read this one!
School-Tripped – Book 3 in the Babymouse Tales from the Locker series. When Babymouse’s middle school art class heads to the museum for a field trip, Babymouse decides to test her freedoms by exploring the city instead.
Titans – First in a new series from the author of the Pegasus series. When Olympus was destroyed, the Olympians resettled on Titus. And so far the Titans and the Olympians are keeping peace with one another. When a Titan named Astraea and her winged horse, Zephyr discover a human on Titus – something that should be impossible -, it seems he is only the beginning of a plot to unsettle the peace and maybe destroy Titus. I haven’t been this interested in a mythology-related story in a long time! This sounds fantastic.
William Wenton and the Lost City – Book 3 in the William Wenton series. William is a puzzle-solving genius, but when his secret skill was discovered, it set off a series of events that have left William unsure who to trust. This next event will send William to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean.
Wish on All the Stars – Sequel to See You on a Starry Night. Three girls who are in the Starry Beach Club look for ways to save their beloved bookmobile. Both of these books sound terrific.
From an Idea to Google AND Lego – Books 3 and 4 in this fun nonfiction series for kids.
Cheshire Crossing – Ever wondered what happened to Dorothy, Alice and Wendy when they get back from their respective adventures? This graphic novel tells that story when the three girls meet at Cheshire Crossing, a boarding school for magical multiverse travelers. They use their world-crossing powers to visit other lands – and leave a heap of trouble in their wake.
The Last Word – It’s 1861. When a young woman discovers her favorite author has died before finishing her favorite series, she coerces her father’s young business partner to help her track down the reclusive author’s whereabouts and try to discover how she planned to end the series. How fun!
Maybe This Time – A young woman who works for the local florist finds herself at every major event in her small home town. The son of the fancy new chef in town finds himself at all those same events. Will he just be an annoyance keeping her from getting her job done so she can move on to the things that matter in her life – or will he become something more? From author Kasie West.
Past Perfect Life – When a small town Wisconsin girl applies for college, her world comes crumbling down as she discovers her name – and her life – aren’t real.
The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate – A young woman ready to embrace all the new opportunities of college can’t shake her nemesis – the guy who ruined her life in middle school and the hottie she made out with at her first college party. Now every where she looks, Carter is there, and she can’t get rid of him. Is there a do over available for this college thing?
Stealing Home – A young woman ready to take over her family’s minor league baseball team runs into a snag when she sees the team’s finances. If she teams up with the charming Sawyer Campbell will he help her find sponsors and save the team, or will he be a distraction she actually can’t afford. I’ve heard great things about this one!
Books for Adults
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (Trade Paperback) – A quiet, bookish woman is living her best, quiet life when she discovers her estranged father has died and left her with a slew of family members who live close enough to expect her to visit – and speak to them. And her trivia nemesis seems to want to see her socially – what is he thinking?. Is it too late to change her name and go into hiding? I have already requested this from the library.
Crashing the A-List (Trade Paperback) – An unemployed book editor is desperate enough to take a temporary gig cleaning out storage units. Among all the creepy and gross things she finds there, she finds the secret past of a famous British actor. While she tries to assure him she has no interest in cashing in on her find, her attempts go awry and leave him certain she wants to blackmail him. I have this on my list, too.
Hope Rides Again (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Obama Biden Mystery series. While I am personally over Biden in the political sphere, the idea of these books is still a hoot to me. In this one, the politicians-turned-detectives start sleuthing again when Obama’s prized Blackberry gets stolen and their prime suspect winds up dead.
Peach Clobbered (Hardcover) – First in the new Georgia B&B Mystery series. An ice-cream shop mascot dressed in a penguin costume arrives on Nina’s porch saying his great-aunt pledged to leave him the house. Later, a developer is found dead – in the penguin suit. Did the killer get the wrong man? Nina and the mascot, Harry, team up to track down a killer and protect her new B&B – at least until Harry decides if he is going to contest the sale and his great-aunt’s will. Sounds like a fun series kickoff!
The Queen Con (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Golden Arrow Mystery series. In The Frame-Up, comic book writer, MG Martin deals with someone recreating crimes from her favorite comics. She thought all that was behind her, but the Golden Arrow seems to be back and MG has been called back in by the police to help them track down the supposed hero. When a sting goes sideways, MG and her friends are back to sleuthing. I have book one already – I need to get into it so I can pick this one up!
The Queen’s Advantage (e-book) – Book 2 in the Rogue Queen series by the author of one of my favorite books for 2019, Jessie Mihalik. Queen Samara has worked diligently to keep her Rogue Coalition OUT of interstellar war. But the warring factors refuse to trade with any neutral parties and her people are suffering. Samara’s plans to rescue the kidnapped Kos emperor go sideways and the man she tried to save becomes her partner in evading mercenaries. And that was just in book one! Now, the emperor wants her to meet his advisors – and help him root out the traitors in his midst. I just bought the first book, and I can’t wait to dig into this series!
Risky Biscuits (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Sugar & Spice Mystery series. Two friends launched a community cookbook publishing business, but their latest fundraiser ends with a dead body. This series sounds so fun! I have book one of this on my list.
All My Friends Have Issues (Trade Paperback) – A faith-based book about finding and keeping friends.
Star Trek Illustrated Handbooks (Hardcover) – Star Trek resources on the original Enterprise NCC-1701 and 1701-A and the Enterprise NCC-1701-D from The Next Generation.
Vegan Comfort Cooking – To be honest, I only put this on the list because of the cover. That looks amazing! I would love to try some of these recipes to do more meat-less meals at home.