Books for Kids
Arrr Mustache Baby – The Mustache Baby picture books are some of my all time favorites. I can’t wait to see what this new one is like!
Because – A new picture book from Mo Willems.
Cake – Cake has been invited to his very first birthday party, but it doesn’t go quite the way he expected. This looks hysterical! I can’t wait to read this one.
Cavekid Birthday – A cavekid twist on the Gift of the Magi. This looks adorable.
Circle – The final book in the Shape Trilogy by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen.
Just Read! – A celebration of reading.
Not Your Nest! – As Bird builds a nest, an interloper is always swooping in to take it over – until Bird says no more! I’m eager to see this one in person.
Pirate Chicken: All Hens on Deck – A chicken takes over a pirate ship. This looks delightfully weird.
Some Days – Explores a range of emotions experienced by two children. Sounds lovely.
Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug – When his best friend needs a hug, Tiny tries to figure out how to give his friend what he needs, even with his tiny arms. Adorable!
What Makes a Hero – A picture book focused on the female heroes of Marvel.
Maria Montessori (Little People, Big Dreams) – Picture book biography of Maria Montessori, the early childhood education expert.
Martin & Anne: The Kindred Spirits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank – Dr. King and Anne Frank were born in the same year, but in very different parts of the world. Both faced prejudice with love and hope. This book looks at the parallels in their lives.
Case of the Disappearing Doll (Leveled Reader)- Disney Junior’s Fancy Nancy and her best friend Bree are detectives, looking for Nancy’s missing doll.
Chicken in Charge (Leveled Reader) – When the farmer is away, Zoey the chicken thinks she knows what it takes to take care of the lambs on the farm.
Unhappy Birthday, Grumpy Cat (Leveled Reader) – Grumpy is ready for her unhappy birthday.
The Big Book of Disney’s Top 10s: Fun Facts and Cool Trivia – Disney trivia for kids
Ben Braver and the Incredible Exploding Kid – Book 2 in the Ben Braver early chapter book series. Ben still doesn’t fit in at his secret school for kids with special powers, and as his friends get more powerful, he’s afraid his secret will be discovered. I have book one from the library so I can check this series out.
Terror in the Tunnel – Imagination Station book 23. The kids are on the train with Abraham Lincoln on the way to his first inauguration, but there are assassins on the way as well, hoping to end his presidency before it begins. This series reminds me of Magic Tree House, but with a faith-based foundation.
Books for Older Kids/Teens
A Crystal of Time – The School for Good and Evil, book 5. A false king takes the throne, leaving the real king’s betrothed to play a dangerous game to rescue her friends.
Far Away – CJ’s aunt has always used her psychic gifts to let CJ talk to her mom who died shortly after CJ was born. But when that connection is threatened, CJ and a friend head off on a quest to find something that will give her more of a permanent connection to her mom.
The Griffins of Castle Cary – Three kids off to England to visit their aunt find more than they expected on their vacation – ghosts!
The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane – First in a new series. A girl whose dad disappeared and whose mom seems too busy to parent finds herself at a boarding school in England. Some treasures from home hint at the fact that her father might have been connected to the school’s secret society.
Nikki on the Line – All Nikki wants is to be a basketball star, but her new team is so good, she wonders where she even fits anymore. Changes with her friends and stress from home pile on as well. Can Nikki overcome all of these challenges, or will she have to settle for less on the court than she dreams?
The North Star – Gemini Mysteries book 1. Four teens are on the case of a missing necklace. I love mysteries, so this one is on my list for this week.
The Revenge of Magic – First in a new series. When books of magic are found around the world next to piles of dragon bones, only kids are able to use the magic. I have a review copy of this one on my pile right now.
Sal & Gabi Break the Universe – First in a new series about Hispanic/Latino mythology from Rick Riordan’s publishing imprint.
Secret Mission Guam – Soldier Dogs, book 3. This one is set in 1944 during WWII on the island of Guam which is under Japanese control.
The Secret of Zoone – Zoone is the Grand Central Station of the universe, full of portals to everywhere imaginable. When the door back to Earth explodes, Ozzie is in for an adventure as he tries to get home again. This sounds right up my alley.
Seventh Grade vs. the Galaxy – When a school in orbit of Jupiter is attacked, a student discovers his science teacher father created a warp drive and this is a perfect time to try it out. While the school is rescued from the original attack, the jump lands the kids in the clutches of the first race of aliens humans have ever encountered. I’m hoping this new sci-fi series is just as fun as the Randoms series by David Liss. This is on my library list.
Wished – Book 5 in the Fairy Tale Reform School series. The villains are on the run and everyone is bracing for their next attack, but Maxine asks a genie to make everyone happy. Now all of Fairy Tale Reform School is more focused on putting on a musical than saving their family and friends.
Boss the Bestseller List Like JK Rowling AND Run the Show Like CEO Oprah Winfrey (Work It, Girl) – Chapter book biographies of women with gorgeous paper-pieced illustrations. The visuals in these books are stunning.
Books for Teens/Young Adults
Chrysalis – The third and final book in the Project Nemesis series. The kids in Fire Lake’s sophomore class have survived the first two phases of the program, but as they move forward, still trying to secure their ultimate survival, old grudges are hard to give up. And it’s likely they will need to set those grudges aside – if they can – and work together if they hope to stay alive. I have the first book on my library list.
The Everlasting Rose – Sequel to The Belles. Camille is determined to fight her nemesis Sophia and protect her people, but in a world of masks and secrets, who can she really trust and how far is she willing to go?
The Fairest Kind of Love – Windy City Magic, book 3. Amber uses her family magic as a matchmaker, but while she can see everyone else’s match, she can’t see her own. On a quest to find her own match, and figure out why her powers are on the fritz, Amber will find herself in the middle of a magical war that might force her to team up with the last person she wants to seek out for help. I bought the first book in this series because the whole things sounds perfect for me!
Field Notes on Love – The latest teen romance from Jennifer E. Smith. Two strangers experiencing major disappointments team up on a cross country train trip to escape their everyday lives. I love the author’s previous books, so this is definitely on my list for this week.
If You’re Out There – At first it seems as though her best friend just dumped her when she moved across the country. But a hidden clue in her social media might actually be a sign that she’s in desperate trouble. I’ve already requested this one from the library.
The Last 8 – When aliens invade Earth and destroy everything, Clover thinks she’s the only survivor. But a message sends her to Area 51 where she discovers other survivors, but she’s not certain she can trust them. Yep, I’ll need to read this one soon.
The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project – A character living in Trope Town is sent to therapy after going off script. This sounds so weird, it could be perfect. This is on my list for this week, too.
Opposite of Always – A Groundhog Day-esque story of a guy who meets the perfect girl. When the girl dies, the guy is sent back in time to the moment when they met. I absolutely have to read this one!
A Question of Holmes – The fourth and final book in the Charlotte Holmes series. This time, Charlotte and Jamie stumble across a cold case of a missing girl at Oxford in the theater department. I haven’t kept up with the series, but this story sounds fascinating!
The Quiet You Carry – A girl kicked out of her house on the eve of her senior year tries to put the pieces of her life back together while maintaining her secrets. But she can’t shake her worries about her stepsister, alone in the house with her father. I feel like this is going to go to a dark place, but I am intrigued to see how all the pieces of the story come together.
Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow – Padmé has stepped down from her role as queen, but now she has been asked to serve as senator. This will require her to navigate the treacherous halls of the galactic senate and to discover a new identity for herself beyond that of queen. I can’t wait to read this one!
Within These Lines – The latest from Blink YA. The fact that an Italian-American girl has fallen in love with the son of Japanese immigrants is a big deal in 1941 California. Inter-racial marriage is illegal, but the two are committed to one another. But when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, their love faces even greater obstacles.
The Year I Didn’t Eat – Max keeps a journal where he writes his true feelings to “Ana” as in anorexia, his eating disorder. But when Max stores his journal in a geo-cache box, someone else finds it and starts writing back to Max. I am fascinated by the whole idea of this one.
You Owe Me a Murder – Kim was only venting when she told a stranger about her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend and how having to endure their relationship on a class trip makes her wish he was dead. She was sure the stranger was only joking when she said they should swap murders. But when Kim’s ex dies unexpectedly, the stranger wants Kim to live up to her end of their deal. Strangers on a Train meets contemporary YA literature!
Yes She Can: 10 Stories of Hope & Change from Young Female Staffers of the Obama White House – Previously untold stories of some of the young women who worked in the Obama White House.
Books for Adults
Almost Home (Trade Paperback) – The group of people at an Alabama boarding house during World War II have the chance to solve a mystery about the house’s past as they are all processing their own issues from the past.
Chocolate à la Murder (March 8 – Trade Paperback) – Book 4 in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Mystery series. I’ll be reviewing this one in April.
Death by Dog Show (Trade Paperback) – Book one in the Creature Comforts Mystery series. I’d love to try this one out!
How the Light Gets In (Trade Paperback) – A woman and her daughters and mother-in-law travel to Wisconsin to bury her husband after he and her father-in-law were killed doing relief work. The family joins the Mennonite community there and start to rebuild their lives. But what will happen to their fresh start if it turns out her husband isn’t dead after all?
Mahimata (Trade Paperback) – Asiana, Book 2. Knife-wielding female assassins. Murder, love, vengeance, secrets and war. Yep, I have book one in this series on my list!
The Quintland Sisters (Trade Paperback) – Based on the true story of the Dionne Quintuplets, a set of five girls born in Canada and eventually removed from their home and turned into a tourist attraction by the government. The real story sounds fascinating. I’m curious to see what the fictionalized version, told from the perspective of a nurse who cared for the girls, is like.
The Women’s War (Hardcover) – A feminist tale of patriarchy and the women who come to wield magic that will change the balance of power. This is on my list, too.
Bible Commentary (Joyce Meyer), Ephesians AND James (Hardcover) – I’m curious to check out these new Bible commentaries from Bible teacher Joyce Meyer.
Hungry Girl Simply 6: All-Natural Recipes with 6 Ingredients or Less (Paperback) – Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien provides clean-eating recipes with 6 ingredients or fewer. That’s my kind of cooking!
Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness (Hardcover) – The latest from Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project) focuses on simplyfying and decluttering.
The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For and Believe (Hardcover) – The latest from Richard Rohr looks at expanding the concept of “Christ” beyond the physical person of Jesus. I’ll be reviewing this one this week.
