Here are some of the new books releasing this week!
Books for Kids
A Family for Louie – Louie the French Bulldog looks for a family of his own. This looks darling!
Lift as You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker – A picture book biography of Civil Rights leader Ella Baker.
Mindy Kim and the Birthday Party – Book 3 in the Mindy Kim early chapter book series. Mindy tries to convince her parents she is responsible enough for a puppy.
Sparkleton: The Magic Day AND The Glitter Parade – The Sparkleton early chapter book series kicks off this week with two books. In The Magic Day, Sparkleton the unicorn tries out wish-granting powers for a day, but the results are the opposite of what he had in mind. In The Glitter Parade, Sparkleton’s gloomy friend, Gabe, gets an embarrassing unicorn power.
Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem – Book 5 in the Tales from Deckawoo Drive series, a spin-off from the Mercy Watson series. In this book, Stella Endicott, Mercy’s neighbor, writes a poem all about Mercy. But one of her classmates doesn’t believe Stella’s stories which leads to an argument and a trip to the principal. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
American as Paneer Pie – Lekha deals with the prejudice in her community by separating herself into two versions – the home version and the school version. When another Indian family moves into her community, Lekha assumes Avantika will be like her – quiet about her culture. But Avantika is proud of her heritage, and she does not take the bullying quietly.
Catalyst (Older Middle Grade) – A new fantasy adventure from Sarah Beth Durst. Zoe’s tiny kitten Pipsqueak grows into a talking cat the size of a horse. Zoe and her best friend Harrison have to figure out why and if there is a way to keep Pipsqueak safe and make her small again.
Curse of the Night Witch – A boy marked with a fate he doesn’t want makes a wish to change it. Instead of a more desirable future, he gets a death sentence. He has one week to find the Night Witch to break the curse.
Disney Frozen Movies in Comics (Graphic Novel) – One of my favorite graphic novelists, Alessandro Ferrari, tackles the stories of Frozen and Frozen 2 in this graphic novel retelling. The sample pages I have seen are gorgeous!
Disney Princess Follow Your Heart (Graphic Novel) – Three short comics starring Disney Princesses – Mulan, Cinderella, and Belle.
Doodleville – Drew’s doodles tend not to stay in her sketchbook. And when she draws a leviathan – Levi – after an inspiring trip to the art museum, Drew and her friends will have to find a way to contain the monster when he starts causing trouble for her friends’ creations.
Five Things About Ava Andrews – From the author of Summer of a Thousand Pies. Ava Andrews’ quiet exterior hides a mind and heart overflowing with thoughts and ideas – as well as the anxiety and heart condition that leave her feeling disconnected from others. But when her writing abilities get her invited to join the improv group at school, she discovers new things about herself as well as about the people closest to her. This is at the top of my reading list for this week.
Glitch – Two kids who have been training to become Glitchers – people who travel through time to protect key moments in history – must put aside their rivalry when they find a letter from the future about a coming event that could destroy everyone they know.
Seven Clues to Home – A girl still grieving the loss of her best friend a year ago decides to follow the clues he left for her on her birthday last year to see what he might have left behind. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Turnover – The latest from Mike Lupica. When Lucas’s English teacher assigns them a project to write about their hero, it’s a no-brainer for Lucas to pick his grandfather, who also happens to be his basketball coach and a legendary player. But when Lucas tries to ask him anything for the project, his grandfather clams up, leaving Lucas to wonder what his grandpa might be hiding.
Agnes at the End of the World – A young woman loves her life in Red Creek with no idea that it is a cult run by a madman. But when she meets a boy from outside the community, and she starts to question her “sin” every time she barters for her brother’s insulin, she wonders if she shouldn’t pack up her brother and escape to the Outside. But the Outside is facing a viral pandemic making it a different sort of dangerous than Red Creek.
Hood – A re-imagined Robin Hood tale that focuses on the daughter of Robin and Marien, a teen targeted by King John’s right-hand man.
Books for Adults
500 Miles from You (Trade Paperback) – A nurse in London and an Army veteran/paramedic in a little town in the Scottish Highlands switch homes for a season so she can recover from PTSD. Both of them feel out of place in their temporary homes so they strike up an email correspondence to keep each other apprised about their patients. And even though they have never met in person, they start to develop feelings for one another.
Always the Last to Know (Trade Paperback) – While the Frosts seem like the perfect American family, when John has a stroke, it shakes everyone up. His favorite daughter, Sadie, gives up her career to come home and care for him while her sister Juliet starts to recognize that her own “perfect” life might be a sham. And Barb and John have to take a long look at their marriage in the face of John’s health.
The Boyfriend Project (Trade Paperback) – When Samiah’s bad date goes viral, and she discovers she’s been “catfished,” she’s ready to take a break from men and invest in herself. That includes developing the app she’s always wanted to – which brings her into contact with a sexy guy at work. What a terrible time to be on a break from men. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
The Full Scoop (Trade Paperback) – Book 4 in the Riley Ellison Mystery series. Riley starts investigating the cold case of her grandfather’s murder where she will have to decide just how far she is willing to go to get to the truth.
Gone in Seconds (e-book) – Book 2 in the Max Carter series. Max is investigating another child abduction, this time of an infant from a mansion. But Max starts to wonder if the baby’s father, and his brother, might have something to do with the kidnapping.
Hush, Puppy (e-book – June 12) – Book 5 in the Dogmother’s series. A guy trying to launch his new business and take care of a rambunctious new puppy encounters a captivating woman – and her daughter who wants the puppy for her own. The woman was in town looking for something and someone else, but now she has a fella and a job and a chance at a fresh start. But then her past catches up to her and threatens everything.
In the Dark with the Duke (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Lost Lords of London series. After hiding away for 8 years after a tragedy, Lady Lila March is ready to return to the outside world, once she’s learned some self-defense. Her coach is the Savage Gentleman, a street fighter who longs to leave his brawling life behind.
Llama See that Evidence (e-book) – Book 2 in the Friendship Harbor Mysteries series. Ex-actress turned pub owner Sophie is sleuthing again when rumors swirl that her grandmother killed her grandfather back in the 80s and a body is found in her guest house. I have book 1 in this series on my TBR list.
The Marriage Game (Trade Paperback) – When her life falls apart, Layla goes home where her father gives her some office space above his restaurant, creates an online dating account for her, and sets her up on a series of blind dates. When Sam goes looking for a quiet office space, a misunderstanding lands him in shared space with Layla. Instead of a quiet work environment, he ends up with a parade of Layla’s crazy family and her hopeful suitors. Sparks will fly. This sounds so fun! This is on my list for this week, too.
Miss Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies (Trade Paperback) – When her life falls apart on the eve of her 40th birthday, Kate starts volunteering. She meets 97-year-old Miss Cecily who has no patience for Kate’s poor choices. She prescribes a self-help book called Food for Thought which has recipes and menus for any sort of event life can throw at Kate.
Star Trek: The Original Series – Agents of Influence (Trade Paperback) – Three Starfleet agents, deep undercover in Klingon territory, initiate emergency extraction protocols, but everything goes wrong, threatening to expose the agents. Starfleet sends The Enterprise in to save the day. This will be a must read for me – I love anything in the Star Trek Universe about the Klingons.
Rage Against the Minivan: Learning to Parent Without Perfection (Hardcover) – Blogger, podcaster, and licensed therapist Kristen Howerton talks real life and parenting. This sounds fantastic!
