I think we have finally shaken off the last snowflakes and spring is finally here. Let’s celebrate with some new books! Here are some of the books releasing this week that I have on my watch list:
Books for Kids
Albie Newton – A young inventor struggles to make friends at preschool. This looks adorable!
Donuts: The Hole Story – An ode to donuts with puns galore
Pete the Kitty and the Groovy Playdate – Before he was Pete the Cat, he was Pete the Kitty. First book in this new line focuses on sharing.
Snail Mail – Celebrates the days of handwritten letters and cross-country treks to deliver them.
This Is a Taco – A funny little story starring a squirrel named Taco who loves to eat, what else? Tacos!
The Wolf Who Didn’t Like to Read – A wolf who would rather eat books than read them has to help a librarian find 10 missing books.
Pete the Cat’s Groovy Bake Sale – An early reader starring Pete the Cat
Ada Lace, Take Me To Your Leader – Book 3 in a series about a STEM-loving girl and a possible alien invasion
Gordon: Bark to the Future (A P.U.R.S.T. Adventure) – Gordon, the dog from the fantastic Binky the Space Cat graphic novel series, gets to save the day. I’ll be reviewing this one tomorrow.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
The Alcatraz Escape – Book 3 in the Book Scavenger series about an escape room challenge on Alcatraz Island. I have book 1 on my TBR list.
Bad Mermaids Make Waves – First in a new series about a trio of mermaids who have to battle some bad mermaids to save their queen.
Bob – Five years ago, Livy promised a little creature that she would help him find out where he came from. Now that she is back, it’s time to follow through. The latest from Wendy Mass (The Candymakers) and Rebecca Stead (When You Reach Me), this one will be huge!
Brooklyn House Magician’s Manual – A companion to the Red Pyramid series by Rick Riordan (Egyptian mythology)
The Burning Maze – The third book in the Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan starring the god Apollo who has been turned into a human teenager by Zeus and sent to Camp Half-Blood.
Curse of the Ancients – Book 2 in the Supergirl series based on the TV show on the CW network. The books contain original adventures for the cast of the TV show.
Endling: The Last – The latest from Katherine Applegate about the last of a mythical doglike species who goes in search of others of her kind who may be hidden. This quest story is sure to be a hit.
The Fantastic Library Rescue and Other Major Plot Twists – Book 2 in the Ruby Starr series about a girl who loves to read, is nervous about a poetry assignment, has a book club called the Unicorns, and who is determined to save her school library. You know I will be reading this one!
Freya and the Magic Jewel – The Goddess Girls now have a Norse series called Thunder Girls about prophecy and Ragnarok. Terrific timing for this series with Riordan’s Norse series wrapping up and all the Thor appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Lost in the Jungle – Book 3 in the Jack and the Geniuses series. This time the kids are headed to the Amazon to find a missing scientist. If you are looking for a solid science-based series for kids, check this one out!
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl – When a lightning strike gives a girl genius level math skills, her grandmother challenges her to complete one year of middle school and a series of tasks before she can leave for college. This is one of the books at the top of my list for this week.
Out of Left Field – Even though she is the best pitcher in the neighborhood, a girl in 1957 is denied the opportunity to play Little League because she is a girl. This sounds fantastic! Looking forward to reading this one.
Positively Izzy – A companion book to Invisible Emmie. This graphic novel focuses on two girls, one a dreamer and the other a “brain,” whose worlds collide at the school talent show. I’m looking forward to this one!
The Rose Legacy – In a world where horses have been killed off for carrying a deadly plague, a girl finds a secret farm of them and discovers she has an affinity for understanding their thoughts and feelings. When I was teaching, I could have started a book club with the number of kids who would have clamored for this title. Sure to be a hit.
Shining Night – Lena in the Spotlight book 3, from FaithGirlz. The latest story in the faith-based series focuses on Lena’s attempt to help a friend by putting on a huge fundraising event and the things she learns about herself and about God along the way.
The Stolen Summers – First in the new Time Tracers series about a boy who has to stop rogue time travelers who have stolen his summer vacation.
Allied – Book 3 in the Ruined series about sisters pitted against one another in a battle to save their kingdom. I have book one on my TBR for April, but I don’t think I am going to get to it before tomorrow.
Bookish Boyfriends: A Date with Darcy – A girl who believes boys are just better in books gets that theory tested in ways she never imagined. I’ll be reviewing this later this week – it’s fantastic!
Everywhere You Want to Be – Loosely based on the tale of Red Riding Hood, a girl heads off to a summer dance program, promising her mother she will give up dance when college starts in the fall. But her summer in New York opens up new opportunities – and new threats – to her dreams of dancing.
If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say – A careless online comment blows up in a teen’s face and takes her future with it. Sounds like a timely story!
The Lies They Tell – The daughter of a man suspected of starting a fire that killed 4 out of 5 members of a family gets drawn into a group of teen boys which includes the last surviving member of that family. Getting close to them might just get her close to the truth of what really happened. Yes, please!
Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey – Graphic Novel collecting the first 5 comics in this line. My only contact with the Jean Grey character is through the XMen movies, but I have always been curious about the Phoenix aspect of her character. I’d love to check this book out.
Royals – When her perfect older sister falls in love with the Crown Prince of Scotland, Daisy must give up her quiet life and go learn how to fit in with the royals. But the Crown Prince’s younger brother is ALWAYS looking for trouble, and he might just take Daisy along for the fun. This sounds like the fabulous Prince in Disguise without the reality TV angle. I’m looking forward to reading this one!
Star Wars Lost Stars Vol 1 (Manga) – The story of two friends who find themselves on opposite sides of the Empire/Rebellion battle in Star Wars now appears in a manga format. I enjoyed the novel, and I’m curious to see what they do with the story in this format.
Books for Adults
Cisco Ramon’s Journal – The Flash’s Cisco Ramon comes to the book store/library with this journal based on the fictional character in the CW’s series about DC’s main speedster.
Down the Aisle with Murder – Book 5 in the Otter Lake mystery series. In this book, the protagonist is trying to solve the murder of a maid-of-honor. I have not read anything in this series before, but I have book one on my library list.
Dressed for Death in Burgundy – Book 2 in the French Village Mystery series about an American transplant trying to be accepted in her French home who stumbles across a murder. I have book one on my TBR shelves.
Falling for You – Book 2 in the Bradford sisters series. In this book, a young woman is forced back into relationship with the NFL quarterback who once broke her heart. I’ll be reviewing this one this week, too.
Hey Ladies: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails – A fictional tale of friendship told through emails and direct messages and texts and such. Sounds like a perfect summer read!
Lethal Literature – Book 4 in the Book Barn mystery series. This time Charli’s dad is keeping secrets and one of those secrets turns up dead.
The Otter of Death – Book 5 in the Gunn Zoo series. This time, an otter is seen holding a cell phone which is tied to a murder. This is a series that has been on my reading wishlist since it first started. I might just have to jump into the middle with this book though. Sounds great.
The Theory of Happily Ever After – After being dumped by her fiancé and sliding into a funk, Maggie’s friends book her to speak about happiness on a cruise. When a fellow passenger asserts that smart women can never be happy, Maggie decides to set aside her recent disappointments and prove him wrong. This is a must-read for me – sounds terrific!
Amateur Hour: Motherhood in Essays and Swear Words – This sounds funny and apropos.
Fabulous Figures – An art and drawing book focusing on drawing people. When I get in creative moods, books like this call to me.