It’s the first week of May – and readers are in for a month FULL of great books. Let’s see some of the new releases for this week:
Books for Kids
Pluto!: Not a Planet? Not a Problem! – Book 7 in Stacy McAnulty’s Our Universe series focuses on Pluto.
Real to Me – What do you do when your imaginary friend disappears?
Weather Together – Part of the Not Quite Narwhal and Friends series. Nimbus and Kelp are best friends, but what happens when Nimbus’ cloudy moods turn into a storm because she tries to hide them from her friend?
The Adventures of Sophie Mouse: Under the Weather – Book 20 in the Sophie Mouse series. Sophie feels jealous when she sees the attention her brother gets because he is sick.
Owl Diaries: The Nature Club – When Eva’s class starts working on a Nature Day party, she’s put in a different planning group from her friends.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
The Firefly Summer – Ryanna spends the summer with her late-mother’s extended family, people she’s never met before who can help her learn about her mother. This sounds like my kind of middle grade story!
The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor – Will a young girl feeling out of place end up trading her beloved books and stories for a chance to experience real magic?
The Sun and the Star (Older Middle Grade) – Nico and Will (from the Percy Jackson novels) travel to Tartarus to try to save an old friend. I have had this pre-ordered since last October. It’s finally time!!!
A Work in Progress (Older Middle Grade, Graphic Novel) – A “round” boy at a school full of “string beans” tries to change his appearance to fit in. I have been waiting for this one for months, too. I hope to review this one soon. There is a trigger warning with this one, so be sure to check that out before reading.
Imogen Obviously – A fervent ally to her queer friends, Imogen starts to wonder if maybe she’s more part of the LGBTQ+ community than she realized. I hope to review this one soon as well!
Liar’s Beach – A prep school outsider and his childhood best friend try to solve the mystery of an “accident” at a Martha’s Vineyard house party. Sounds fantastic!
Lying in the Deep – A girl looking to escape her ex and his new girlfriend – her ex-best friend – signs on for a semester on a cruise ship traveling the world. As if it wasn’t surprising enough to find her ex on board, there’s also a murderer.
Might as Well Be Dead (May 5) – A teen still reeling from his mother’s abrupt departure and trying to help his dad through at the same time, starts to see a ghost who wants to help him – but who also has a favor to ask.
The Unstoppable Bridget Bloom – A standout performer is challenged to develop some humility by not singing at her new boarding school. I’m intrigued by this one!
Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay – Harriet and her father run an enslaved persons museum on the site of an old plantation. When an influencer and her mother move in next door with plans to turn that plantation into an antebellum showplace for a prestigious Hollywood couple’s wedding – and the site is also chosen for their high school’s prom – Harriet is fed up with the whole racist mess. I have this one on my list for May!
Books for Adults
Best Men (Trade Paperback) – Two best men in a wedding party start to fall for each other. Yes, please!
Fourth Wing (Hardcover) – Book one of The Empyrean series. Instead of following her plans to become a scribe and enjoy a quiet, bookish life, Violet is forced to compete with those who want to be DRAGON riders in the war! The dragons have become choosy about who they will bond with, so Violet becomes a target for those who want to thin the ranks, doing whatever it takes in order to have their chance. Dragons! And this book has decorative page edges – I couldn’t hit the buy button fast enough! I hope the story lives up to the gorgeous packaging.
Jana Goes Wild (Trade Paperback) – Jana wants nothing to do with her ex, but he’s hard to avoid when they are both attending the same destination wedding. But her friends come to the rescue with a “Go Wild” list of things for Jana to do to keep her busy and way from Anil.
Love Buzz (Trade Paperback) – A chance-meeting at a destination bachelorette party leaves Serena tossing away the facets of her carefully crafted life as she searches for a man she knows only by his first name in one of the largest cities in America.
Practice Makes Perfect (Trade Paperback) – When Annie starts to think she might be too boring to find love, she convinces her brother’s fiancée’s bodyguard to help her learn to be more flirty and fun.
Star Trek: Lower Decks (Graphic Novel) – A new mission for the crew of the Ceritos
Sugar Spice and Can’t Play Nice (Trade Paperback) – Two young people agree to an arranged marriage to avoid family drama and to achieve their personal agendas, but along they way they start to wonder if there’s more to this engagement than just a means to an end.
Super Bloom (Trade Paperback) – Joan agrees to funnel gossip to a romance author at the spa where she works so the author can use the tidbits in her next book. But then Joan takes up writing as well, crafting an imagined future she would never get with her late boyfriend. When the author tries to steal Joan’s novel and pass it off as her own, Joan’s quirky group of friends pitch in to help her get it back. Yes, please!