Here are some of the new books releasing this week!
Books for Kids
Bedtime for Bad Kitty – Bad Kitty is doing everything she can to keep from going to bed.
How to Apologize – Hilarious examples accompany instructions for how to make a sincere apology. This looks adorable!
Oh Look, A Cake! – When they find a cake, Sloth thinks they should tell all their friends, but Lemur wants to keep the cake to themselves.
Turtle in a Tree – Two dogs argue over what is hidden in a tree in this book about listening to other perspectives.
The Worm Family Has Its Picture Taken – A mama worm wants to remember her children’s childhood, so she decides they should have their picture taken. But when one of the young worms tries to “fix” her family to make them photo-ready, she discovers how great they are just being themselves.
Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-Be Best Friend – First in a new chapter book series starring a young Ojibwe girl working through friend issues.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
Alice Fleck’s Recipes for Disaster (Older Middle Grade) – When her father’s girlfriend enters Alice and her dad into a cooking competition, Alice isn’t sure she is ready for everyone to know about her hobby of cooking dishes from history. But during the competition, she also stumbles into a mystery. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Dog Squad – First in a new series by Chris Grabenstein. Fred, an “average” dog, gets the chance to be a stand in for Duke, the star of DOG SQUAD. But sometimes the adventures continue off screen. Is Fred brave enough to step up when real life trouble comes his way?
Kate the Chemist: Birthday Blastoff – Book 4 in the Kate the Chemist series. Kate is double booked with a birthday party for her brother and a science club event. And in her effort to do both, she forgets to pick up the cake for the party. Can science help her save the day?
Rule of Threes (Older Middle Grade) – A girl who loves interior design and living life by a plan has her plans up-ended when her family takes in her half-brother whose mother is struggling with addiction. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
The Shape of Thunder – Two girls, best friends, at least until the shooting. Now they are lost in their own grief. Then Quinn leaves Cora a note that she has decided the only way to move forward is to first go back in time and keep her brother from doing what he did. This is at the top of my list for this week!
Thanks a Lot Universe (Older Middle Grade, LGBTQ+) – Brian is newly placed in foster care with his brother and suffering from panic attacks. Ezra is trying to be a good friend to all the kids on his basketball team, including Brian, but he doesn’t want anyone to know he has a crush on Brian. But when Brian and his brother run away, Ezra decides to take a chance and reach out. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Awesome Book of Edible Experiments for Kids – New from Kate the Chemist. Includes 25 recipes/experiments for kids that dig into the ways cooking is like science and the impact of different ingredients on a recipe (like baking powder vs baking soda or brown sugar vs white sugar). Sounds fabulous!
Stamped for Kids: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You – A version of Stamped from the Beginning adapted for kids by authors Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds.
What Is Congress?
Who Is RuPaul?
Baby & Solo – Joel is hoping to keep his past a secret while following his therapist’s instructions to get a job. He starts working at a video store (the book is set in the 1990s) where he gets a nickname (“Solo”) and connects with his first real friend, “Baby.” But everything is at risk when his secrets are exposed. I am really curious about this one.
From Little Tokyo with Love – Rika, an orphan, believes America’s romcom sweetheart could be her mother. But her search for clues could leave her disappointed. I am looking forward to this new book from Sarah Kuhn, author of the Heroine Complex series (Heroine Complex ♥♥♥♥) as well as Shadow of the Batgirl.
Lucky Girl – When an underage teen buys a winning lottery ticket, she has to figure out how to claim her prize without losing it to her hoarder mother or her scheming ex. And while she works on a solution, neighbor turns against neighbor as the community wonders who the winner is. I love a good lottery story! I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Lucy Clark Will Not Apologize – After being bullied for ages, Lucy finally pushes back and finds herself kicked out of her boarding school and sent to Manhattan to be a companion to an eccentric woman who believes someone is trying to kill her. Yep, this is on my list.
The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 (Young Readers Edition) – A YA edition of this book that shares the history and impact of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
Books for Adults
Aftermath (Trade Paperback) – When a former military service member is accused of a terrorist act and insists he is being framed, his childhood best friend agrees to defend him even though it puts her entire career in jeopardy.
Competitive Grieving (Hardcover) – Wren’s closest friend is dead and his mother has put her in charge of disseminating his possessions, which is no small feat. Stewart was a rising TV star and everyone wants a piece of him, even in death.
Deadly Ever After (Hardcover) – Book 8 in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series. While Lucy and Connor are celebrating their engagement, Lucy’s ex – and his mother – arrive to convince Lucy to take him back. Lucy agrees to a dinner party with them, counting on their subsequent return to Boston, but a body is discovered at the restaurant.
Hooked on You (Trade Paperback) – First in the Maple Falls Romance series. Riley may be a struggling artist in NYC, but she’s working hard to give the impression of having it all together. When her grandmother breaks her leg in a softball game, Riley agrees to come back to Maple Falls and help out. While Riley is itching to get back to her life in the city, her grandmother is matchmaking.
Peaches and Schemes (Hardcover) – Book 3 in the Georgia B&B Mystery series. Nina hopes to expand her business by tapping into the destination wedding market. But when a friend is murdered during a bridal expo, Nina and Harry start investigating.
People We Meet on Vacation (Trade Paperback) – Best friends Poppy and Alex have been inseparable since they met on a ride share in college. In fact, every summer they take a week’s vacation together – until two years ago when they ruined everything. While they haven’t spoken since, Poppy knows that summer was the last time she was truly happy, so she asks Alex to take one more vacation together. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Raiders of the Campsite (e-book, May 13) – Book 3 in the Southwest Exposure Mystery series. Andie is the guide for a spring break camping trip where someone is attacked and a dead body is found.
That Summer (Hardcover) – Daisy knows she should be happy with the life she has, but she is still not sleeping and feels something is just not right. Then she starts receiving emails meant for someone else with a much more glamorous life. When the two women meet, Daisy discovers their connection wasn’t exactly an accident. I am intrigued by this one!
While Justice Sleeps (Hardcover) – A brilliant young law clerk finds herself in dizzying circumstances when the Supreme Court justice she works for slips into a coma and she finds she has been named his guardian and power of attorney. The justice has left behind research into a case that could have far-reaching implications on the world as we know it. As Avery digs into the clues left by the justice, she finds herself in harm’s way. By author and political activist Stacey Abrams. This is also on my list for this week.