Here are some of the books releasing this week!
Books for Kids
Buck Denver’s Big BIG Bubble: A Lesson in Courage – Buck tries to keep himself safe by living in a big bubble, but his friends have to rescue him and talk with him about courage when the bubble starts bouncing out of control.
The Crayons’ Christmas – Duncan and the crayons celebrate Christmas with this interactive Christmas book with letters to open, a game, a poster, and more.
Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment – Based on the viral photograph of young Parker mesmerized by the portrait of Michelle Obama. The illustrations on the sample pages I have seen are stellar. I can’t wait to read this one!
Pete the Cat’s Super Cool Science Fair – Book with stickers about Pete and his friends enjoying the science fair.
Sulwe – From actress Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther’s Nakia). A young Black girl feels like her skin is too dark – darker than her family members, darker than the kids at school, dark enough to keep kids from wanting to be her friend. I’ve only seen a few sample pages, but they left me in tears. This is a hard but honest, beautiful story. I can’t wait to read the whole thing!
This Is Not That Kind of Book – New picture book from the author of the fantastic Hero’s Guide series! Just when you think you are reading one kind of story, this wild book turns in another direction. I can’t wait to read this one.
The Upper Case: Trouble in Capital City – So many good picture books out this week! This is the sequel to the terrific 7 Ate 9. Private I is on another case when all the capital letters go missing. This is on my list, too!
All the Fun Winter Things – Book 4 in the Arnold and Louise early chapter book series. While Arnold is ready to hibernate, Louise doesn’t want him to miss all the winter fun. Darling!
DC Super Hero Girls at Metropolis High (Graphic Novel) – Launches a new look at the DC Super Hero Girls. This time the girls are getting in trouble at school for always being late (fighting criminals is rarely an after-school only activity), and they have to join a club to show some school spirit. I’m not sure how a joining a club helps with an attendance problem, but the sample pages I saw of this were great, and I am eager to dig into the whole book.
Superhero Playbook – Real life lessons for kids from their favorite fictional superheroes.
Pizza, Peanut Butter, and Pickles – The latest Fast Facts book from the world of My Weird School, this time with facts about food.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
Allies – From the author of such books as Refugee and Ban this Book comes this new novel about D-Day.
Charlie Brown: All Tied Up – Comics collection
Dog Diaries: Happy Howlidays! – Book 2 in the Dog Diaries series. Junior the dog shares his story of the holidays.
The Dragon Warrior – Based on Chinese mythology. A girl and her brother go on an adventure to defeat demons and discover her destiny. Looks like this would be a good fit for Rick Riordan fans.
Give and Take – From the author of Finding Perfect and Smart Cookie (♥♥♥♥). A girl struggling with the death of her grandmother and other changes in her family starts hoarding.
Hope: Project Middle School – From actress Alyssa Milano. A bright, optimistic girl tackles middle school head on, but discovers things don’t go exactly as she planned.
The King Is Born – Book 7 in the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series focuses on the birth of Jesus.
Knock Three Times – Book 3 in the Wizards of Once series from the author of the How to Train Your Dragon series.
The Memory Keeper – A girl with a stellar memory tries to help her aging grandmother by finding the past trauma that must be the cause of her fading memory.
Naked Mole Rat Saves the World – Sometimes without warning kit (with a small k) turns into a naked mole rat. It started when her best friend was hurt in an acrobatic performance – in fact, both girls changed that day, inside and out. I am curious about this one!
The Perfect Star – The kids from the Perfect Score series by Rob Buyea (Because of Mr. Terupt) are back for their 8th grade year. I’ll be reviewing this one later this week.
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky – First in a new series from the imprint Rick Riordan Presents. This one focuses on African-American folk heroes and West African mythology. A boy who lost his best friend in a bus accident is not looking forward to “recovering” at his grandparents’ house in Alabama. But when a weird creature steals the only thing he has from his best friend, he chases after it and finds himself in a fight to save the world.
Wings of Fire: The Hidden Kingdom Graphic Novel – The graphic novel version of the third book in the original Wings of Fire series. I have enjoyed both of the books in this graphic novel series so far.
What Is the Story of Doctor Who? AND What Is the Story of The Wizard of Oz? – Read about the stories behind the Doctor Who franchise and The Wizard of Oz.
Fireborne – Book one in a new series about two orphans who are on the path to becoming dragon riders when the enemies of their world rise up to drag the world back to the old ways. As lines are drawn and one of the teens is drawn back toward the family he lost, they will have to decide if the family they have forged together will be more important than what they left in the past. This sounds great! My library has already bought this one for the collection.
Jackpot – From the author of Dear Martin (♥♥♥♥). A teen who sold the winning lottery ticket at her gas station job tries to track down the winner who hasn’t cashed in his/her prize.
The Never Tilting World – After generations of twin rulers, a rift splits a pair of sisters so that one ends up ruling the dark half of their planet while the other rules in perpetual sunlight. Each has a daughter who is sent out on a quest that might be just what the world needs to be united again. I’ve requested this one from the library.
Our Wayward Fate – A Taiwanese girl who hides behind a bland existence to blend in and avoid harassment finds a kindred spirit in the new boy at school who is also Taiwanese. But when the two start dating, the girl’s mother tells her to end the relationship. As the girl digs into her mother’s past to find out why, she uncovers family secrets. Sounds great!
War Girls – In a future war-torn Nigeria, two sisters dream of a life beyond the existence that’s been handed to them. Our library has already bought this one, too!
Girls Who Run the World: 31 CEOs who Mean Business – Highlights the women CEOs of companies like Spanx, 23andMe, Soul Cycle and more. I bet this book will be inspiring! I’ve requested this one from the library.
Books for Adults
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols: Adapted from the Journals of John H. Watson, M. D. (Hardcover) – Holmes and Watson board the Orient Express to investigate the death of a British Secret Service agent who had proof of a secret society determined to take over the world.
The Art of Theft (Trade Paperback) – Book 4 in the Lady Sherlock series. Charlotte Holmes finds herself at a Yuletide Ball trying to secure the secrets posted behind a work of art that is about to be sold. This sounds terrific – an unusual premise!
Better Watch Out (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Merry & Bright Handcrafted Mystery series. A Christmas parade participant who is determined to publicly share her own “Santa’s Naughty List” is found dead, and Merry is sleuthing for a killer.
Christmas Angels (Trade Paperback) – A woman longs to return her grandparents’ inn to its former glory, and her neighbor – who had a huge crush on her when they were kids – is eager to help, but an accident leaves the woman wondering if she has made a huge mistake.
Christmas Shopaholic (Hardcover) – The Shopaholic is stuck hosting Christmas when things take a turn towards disaster.
The Devil’s Own Game (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Somebody’s Bound to Wind Up Dead mystery series. After winning the lottery and falling in love, Tom and Allie have started a detective agency. And it’s becoming obvious that someone is still bitter about the couple’s good fortune. I haven’t read book 2 yet, but I am eager to get caught up on this series. I got such a kick out of the first book!
Finding Christmas (Hardcover/Trade Paperback) – Trying to help her boyfriend out of his Scrooge-ish slump, Emmie plans a Christmas scavenger hunt that will lead him to Christmas Point where she has planned a romantic weekend. But the wrong guy has been picking up her clues! This is at the top of my list for this week.
The Guardians (Hardcover) – The latest from John Grisham. A man convicted of a murder he didn’t commit has been languishing in jail for 22 years when he reaches out to the Guardians, a nonprofit that takes on a few innocence cases a year. But there are powerful people committed to keeping their secrets and keeping this man in jail for the rest of his life. I haven’t cared for the recent Grisham books, but this one sounds like one I might have to try.
Murder in Black Tie (e-book) – Book 4 in the High Society Lady Detective series where murder at a black tie event puts Olive on the case to protect her cousin Peter. These look fun!
Owl Be Home for Christmas (Hardcover) – Book 26 in the delightful Meg Langslow Mystery series! A Christmas-time conference on owls ends in a snow storm – and murder. I can’t wait to read this one! I have read every book in this series, including the 5 previous Christmas books. I love this series!
Read and Buried (Hardcover) – Book 6 in the Lighthouse Library series. When repair work to the library digs up a Civil-War era diary and a coded map, people just can’t stay away from the library or the artifact. When murder follows, Lucy is drawn into sleuthing again.
Be More RGB: Speak Truth and Dissent with Supreme Style (Hardcover gift book) – Includes quotes and inspirational stories about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation (Trade Paperback) – A guide to help Christians pursue racial reconciliation and be leaders of the process for their communities.
Creative Cookie Decorating: Buttercream Frosting Designs and Tips for Every Occasion (Hardcover) – ‘Tis the season for holiday baking! Includes detailed instructions, instrument lists, and pictures.
Double Blessing: How to Get it, How to Give It (Hardcover) – The latest from Mark Batterson is based on the idea that the first blessing is what God gives to us and the “double” is what we give back to God.
Hello, Cookie Dough: 110 Doughlicious Confections to Eat, Bake & Share (Hardcover) – Safe to eat cookie dough as well as recipes to bake. This looks like a fantastic resource – lots of clear instructions, photos, etc.
Live in Grace, Walk in Love: A 365-Day Journey (Hardcover devotional) – The latest from Bob Goff (Love Does)
Rachel Ray 50: Memories and Meals from a Sweet and Savory Life: A Cookbook (Hardcover) – Memoir and cookbook combined.
Surviving the Great Indoors: A Baby Blues Collection (Paperback Comics Collection) – Comics collection.
To Hell with the Hustle: Reclaiming Your Life in an Overworked, Overspent and Overconnected World (Trade Paperback) – Embrace the slow, relaxed pace of Jesus.
Whole 30 Friends & Family: 150 Recipes for Every Social Occasion (Hardcover) – Entertaining on Whole 30.
Whole in One: Complete, Healthy Meals in a Single Pot, Sheet Pan or Skillet (Hardcover) – One pot/skillet meals.