Happy October! I hope the beginning of the fall season is treating you right. There are a LOT of books releasing this week. Here are some of the ones that caught my eye:
Books for Kids
Builder Brothers: Big Plans – The Property Brothers now have a picture book!
Eliza: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton – A picture book biography about Eliza Hamilton. There are several books about Eliza releasing this fall. Be sure to check them out. Her story is fascinating.
I Am Human – A celebration of the possibilities in life and being our best selves and caring for others. With illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds.
Jane Goodall AND L. M. Montgomery (Little People, Big Dreams) – The latest picture book biographies from the Little People, Big Dreams series. I love the illustrations for this series. I’d especially like to read these two new books.
Max and the Superheroes – Max and his friends love superheroes. Max’s favorite is Megapower, but his friends aren’t sure a girl superhero could really be that super. Max knows she is because Megapower is his mom. This one is on my list.
Octopus Escapes – Security guard vs Octopus escapee. This looks adorable!
Pete the Cat Checks Out the Library – 8×8 paperback book starring Pete the Cat
Potato Pants – From the fabulous author of Arnie the Doughnut and The Scrambled States of America comes this book about a potato, his eggplant nemesis and a sale on pants. I HAVE to read this one and get the scoop on this crazy story!
The Wall in the Middle of the Book – A knight is certain that his side of the wall in the middle of the book is the safest.
I Lost My Tooth – The first book in the Unlimited Squirrels series by Mo Willems. A squirrel loses a tooth and his friends try to help him find it.
Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters – The fantastic picture book series by Andrea Beaty has expanded into an early chapter book series called The Questioneers! There is a lot of positive buzz about this book online. I can’t wait to read it for myself.
Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference – A book just for early chapter book readers on activism and making a difference in the world.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
9 From the Nine Worlds – More stories starring the cast of the Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan.
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Graphic Novel) – Book 4 in the fabulous original Percy Jackson series gets the graphic novel treatment. My teen and I have enjoyed the graphic novel versions of this terrific series!
The Bookshop Girl – The Jones family has won a humongous bookshop in a contest, but the former owner seems to be hiding something. I am so looking forward to reading this one!
Clash of Beasts – Book 3 in the Going Wild series from the author of the Unwanteds series. Three kids are trying to stop a villain who wants to turn all of humanity into monstrous beasts.
Definitely Daphne – To cope with their recent move and her mom’s upcoming deployment, Annabelle agrees to vlog as a way to step out of her comfort zone. When she’s onscreen as Daphne, she can say how she really feels. I’ll be reviewing this one next week – it was terrific!
Dog Days in the City – Sequel to The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City. I have both of these on my TBR list. This time Josie is trying to find homes for 7 puppies.
Harry Potter Creatures – A laser-cut pop up book.
Lando’s Luck (Star Wars) – An original story starring Lando Calrissian (and the Millennium Falcon)
Misfits – A spin off from the Fairy Tale Reform School series by Jen Calonita. This series focuses on the Royal Academy and a princess trying to find her place in Enchantasia. I’ve already requested this one from the library.
The Reckless Club – The Breakfast Club meets The Golden Girls. Five teens who made questionable choices at the end of 8th grade find themselves spending the last Saturday of their summer “volunteering” at an old folks home for their punishment. I’ll be reviewing this one tomorrow – I loved it!
The Right Hook of Devin Velma – From the author of last year’s spectacular Greetings from Witness Protection comes this story about a boy who longs to be internet famous so he can pay for his dad’s medical treatment and his best friend who prefers the background but ends up in the limelight instead. I already pre-ordered this one based on how much I adored Greetings last year.
Search for Atlantis (DC Super Hero Girls Graphic Novel) – The kids at DC Super Hero High are back in this adventure where they are looking for the stolen underwater city of Atlantis. I will be reviewing this later this year, but I’ll tell you now that I loved this one. I think this series gets better and better with each book. The addition of Raven and Mera in this story line was fantastic.
Spy School Goes South – Book 6 in the Spy School series. When a captured spy offers intelligence that can help the CIA take down SPYDER, Ben is pretty sure the plan is too good to be true. And he’s absolutely right. This is a series I haven’t read but have on my TBR list.
Squint – Flint, nicknamed”Squint,” is a kid losing his eyesight who loves to draw comics. McKell is the new girl at school who wonders if Flint could be the friend who sees her for who she really is. I’ve requested this one from the library, too.
The Tornado Twins (The Flash) – Book 3 in the Flash series based on the CW series, but without Flashpoint. I enjoyed the first book in this series – this will be a hit with kids who love the TV show or kids who love superhero stories.
The Truth About Martians – A kid and his friends investigate the crash of a space ship near the boy’s Roswell, New Mexico home. I’m looking forward to reading this one.
Who Is Bono? AND Who Is Judy Blume?
Be More Vader: Assertive Thinking from the Dark Side AND Be More Yoda: Mindful Thinking from a Galaxy Far Far Away – Hilarious small gift books that answer the question “What would Darth Vader or Yoda do?” These work for teens and adults. From the samples I have seen, these could be great for graduation gifts. I want to buy these for someone for Christmas just so I can read them, too.
Damsel – It’s always been this way – the king dies and his son heads off to slay a dragon and rescue a damsel. But when Ama, the damsel in question, wakes up after her rescue, she feels like things aren’t exactly as the old stories would have everyone believe. I’ve requested this one from the library, too.
Dry – From the author of the excellent Scythe series. A young woman finds herself alone and desperate to protect herself and her brother when the latest California drought hits catastrophic levels and the taps run dry. This sounds fascinating!
The Geography of Lost Things – When a girl inherits a classic car from her estranged father, she just wants to sell it so she can save her childhood home. But she’ll need her ex to drive it for her (it’s a manual transmission) which means she’s in for an awkward road trip. Yes! This sounds great.
The Infinite Pieces of Us – When a girl’s family hides out in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico to avoid her past, her new friends help her hit the road to pursue the truth. Another road trip book – and I am here for both of them!
The Perfect Candidate – A Capital Hill intern finds himself in the “perfect” position to help the FBI investigate the murder of a fellow staffer. Yes, please!
Swing – Two teens are trying to find their place in both school and their community. The plot for this one is pretty intricate. I’m eager to read this one.
What They Don’t Know – Told through journal entries, this is the story of two girls, one who withdraws after an “unspeakable act” and the other who longs to save her. I’ll be looking for this one, too.
(Don’t) Call Me Crazy – Thirty-three entries (essays, lists, comics, etc) to start a conversation about mental health. I’d like to check this one out, too.
Books for Adults
Alaskan Holiday (small-sized hardcover)- This year’s Christmas book from Debbie Macomber heads to Alaska where a Seattle sous-chef takes a summer gig but gets stuck in Alaska as winter sets in. I know my local library has already got this one on order.
Dead Air (e-book – October 3) – Serial Box is a new service that offers an e-book/audio book combo for stories that are released like a TV series, with one episode a week for a certain number of weeks. Dead Air is one of their newest stories, and the whole thing is now available in one chunk. This one is about a college radio show host who looks into a cold case murder. I haven’t taken the plunge to try Serial Box yet, but this particular story really grabbed my attention. I’ll be reading this one for sure.
An Easy Death (Hardcover) – Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse, Aurora Teagarden) kicks off a new series starring a gunslinger named Rose in an alternate United States after the assassination of FDR where magic is real but mistrusted. I requested this one from the library weeks ago, so I should be reading it soon!
End of Days (Trade Paperback) – Book 5 in the Chronicles of Brothers series. The series starts with three archangels – Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer – and the fall of one. By book 3 the focus shifts to three brothers and events on earth that are leading to the End of Days. I’d read a series like this; I enjoy Christian fantasy.
The Kennedy Debutante (Hardcover) – London, 1938. Oft forgotten Kennedy daughter, Kathleen, or “Kick,” is swept off her feet by the Duke of Devonshire, but their love is forbidden as she is Catholic and he is Protestant. The whole idea of this fascinates me. I’m putting this one on my list.
Kill the Queen (Trade Paperback) – First in the Crown of Shards series. When the queen is killed and the royal family is attacked, Evie (17th in line for the throne) survives because of a secret she is keeping. She goes into hiding, training with a group of gladiators, waiting to make her move on the cousin who tried to kill her. This looks and sounds amazing. I already requested this one from the library, too. The question is which book I will read first, this one or An Easy Death?
The Pint of No Return (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Sloan Krause mystery series from the author of the Bakeshop Mysteries. Local brewmaster Sloan investigates the death of a movie star in Leavenworth, Washington. I haven’t read the first book in this series, but I did read a teaser the author wrote where Sloan meets the main character of the Bakeshop series.
Anne Frank’s Diary (Graphic Novel – Hardcover) – A graphic novel adaptation of the classic.
It’s Okay Not to Be Okay: Moving Forward One Day at a Time (Hardcover) – This book from Sheila Walsh focuses on picking up the pieces and accepting ourselves as we are.
Preach to Yourself: When Your Inner Critic Comes Calling, Talk Back with Truth (Trade Paperback) – Renew your mind to renew your life – less “try harder” and more “believe better.” This could be powerful!
The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God’s Mercy (Hardcover) – A look at the life of Jonah from the Bible. I’m fascinated by the story of Jonah – especially the ending which is left out of most children’s versions of the story. This is on my list.
Remember God (Paperback) – There are already over 200 reviews of this book on Amazon – apparently there was a free audio book offered for those who pre-ordered – and almost every one is five-stars! I’ve not read a book from Annie F. Downs yet, but I have heard her speak and I really like her work. This book, which focuses on the goodness and kindness of God, is on my list.
The Sparkle Effect: Step into the Radiance of Your True Identity (Paperback) – Another book on finding your identity in Christ. I love books like this – such an important topic.
Woke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in America to Confront Racism and Injustice (Hardcover) – A challenge to the Church to Be Aware, Be Redemptive and Be Active. I will be buying this one for certain.