Happy 2017! Or as we say here in China, Xīnnián kuàilè! Now that we've made it through December, we actually have lots of new releases this week! This week features a diverse lot of narrators: a blind boy, an agoraphobic girl with OCD, and a Trinidadian boy in love with a Manhattan socialite. There are also several civil rights historical fiction and narrative nonfiction titles. What a great list to start the new year! 
YOUNG ADULT (GRADES 8+)
TOP PICKS:
  | Wayfarer (Alexandra Bracken) Sequel to: The Passenger. I Passenger, teen violin prodigy inadvertently traveled back in time and found herself trapped in the 18th Century. I personally struggled with Passenger, but my students have loved it. I've aready ordered this title for the library. Time-travel, adventure. |
  | Love and First Sight (Josh Sundquist) My 8th grade girls will be thrilled to hear that we have another book by a YouTuber. This one sounds different though; it's a contemporary romance book featuring a blind male protagonist. Will has developed a crush on a quiet girl named Cecily, but when Will gets a chance at vision-restoring surgery, he finds out that Cecily isn't as pretty as his friends described. Does it matter? I love that this book challenges the idea that someone who isn't traditionally pretty can still be romance novel material. I'll definitely be getting this one. Contemporary romance, male protagonist. |
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The Devil's Advocate (Jonathan Maberry) and Agent of Chaos (Kami Garcia)
The X-Files Origins series. I love this idea! Jonathan Maberry and Kami Garcia have teamed up to present two companion prequels to The X-Files television series.
The Devil's Advocate is set in 1979 and explores the teen years of Dana Scully. A serial murder and a life-changing paranormal experiences set Scully on the past to become an FBI agent.
Agent of Chaos, also set in 1979, looks at the mysterious circumstances surrounding Fox Mulder's younger sister Samantha's disappearance. After the family moves to Washington, D.C., 17-year old Fox gets involved in the case of another missing child that seems linked to his sister's disappearance. I'm not sure how familiar today's teens are with The X-Files, but I know many adults (like me!) who will devour this series! Thriller.
  | The Cursed Queen (Sarah Fine) Companion to: The Imposter Queen. I loved The Imposter Queen's unique world-building and characters. The Cursed Queen is a companion novel to The Imposter Queen and introduces us to Ansa, a teen girl with the magic of fire and ice taking hold in her body. Snatched as a raid prize as a child, Ansa has always been a fighter. Ansa must learn to control the dark magic inside her if she wants to keep it hidden. Fantasy, GLBT. |
  | Maresi: The Red Abbey Chronicles (Maria Turtschaninoff) This book was originally released in Swedish in 2014 and now has an English translation. Only girls and women are allowed to stay at Red Abbey, a haven for female victims of abuse and oppression. Thirteen-year old Maresi has lived there happily there for years, retreating into the vast library inside The House of Knowledge. Enter Jai, the Abbey's newest girl, who recently witnessed the brutal murder of her beloved sister. When Jai's past brings itself into the peaceful walls of the Abbey, Maresi will have to put down her books and stand up and fight. Fantasy. |
  | Under Rose-Tainted Skies (Louise Gornall) Norah has agoraphobia and OCD. When groceries are left on the porch, she can’t step out to get them. Struggling to snag the bags with a stick, she meets Luke. He’s sweet and funny, and he just caught her fishing for groceries. Because of course he did. Great for fans of Yoon's popular Everything, Everything. Realistic fiction, mental illness. |
  | The Truth of Right Now (Kara Lee Corthron) An interracial romance between a privileged Manhattan girl with a spotty past and a Trinidadian boy who avoids his overbearing father as much as possible. Give this to fans of Perfect Chemistry (Elkeles) or Pushing the Limits (McGarry). Contemporary romance. |
  | The March Against Fear (Ann Bausum) In 1966, James Meredith began a one-man march against voter registration practices in the Mississippi Delta. On the second day of his 220-mile journey, James was shot and wounded by a white sniper. This garnered the attention of civil rights organizations that vowed to continue James's walk. The retelling of Meredith's story opens on the day of his assassination attempt and goes back in time to recount the moments leading up to that event and its aftermath. Readers learn about the powerful figures and emerging leaders who joined the over 200-mile walk that became known as the "March Against Fear." Narrative nonfiction, civil rights. |
ALSO RELEASING THIS WEEK (YA):
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MIDDLE GRADE (GRADES 5-8)
  | Flying Lessons and Other Stories (Ellen Oh, ed.) A collection of ten short stories from some of today's most prominent middle grade authors: Sherman Alexie, Jacqueline Woodson, Kwame Alexander, Walter Dean Myers, Meg Medina, Tim Tingle, Kelly J. Baptist , Soman Chainani, Matt de la Pena, Tim Federle, and Grace Lin. Love the diversity! Short stories. |
  | Siren Sisters (Dana Langer) Lolly Salt has three beautiful sisters. When they're not in school or running their small town's diner, they're secretly luring ships to their doom from the cliffs of Starbridge Cove, Maine. With alluring voices that twelve-year-old Lolly has yet to grow into (not that she wants to anyway) the Salt sisters do the work mandated by the Sea Witch, a glamorously frightening figure determined to keep the girls under her control. Supernatural, fantasy. |
  | The Warden's Daughter (Jerry Spinelli) Goodreads reviews on this one are mixed, but I am spotlighting it today because it's been starred in several major review journals (Kirkus, Bulletin). As the warden's daughter, 12-year old Cammie is growing up in the shadow of Hancock County prison. Her mother died when Cammie was just a baby, so some of the prison inmates have taken on a mother-role for Cammie. Set in 1959. Historical fiction, grief and loss. |
  | Midnight Without A Moon (Linda Williams Jackson) Rose Lee Carter, a 13-year-old African-American girl, dreams of life beyond the Mississippi cotton fields during the summer of 1955. Her world is rocked when a 14-year-old African-American boy, Emmett Till, is killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman. I can see this one being used in middle school classrooms as The Watsons Go to Birmingham (Curtis) and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Taylor) have been. Historical fiction. |
  | One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance (Nikki Grimes) This one is a must for all middle and high school libraries! Nikki Grimes combines her own poetry with that of Harlem Renaissance poets Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Georgia Dougles Hughes, and others. Features striking artwork and a foreword about the Harlem Renaissance. Perfect for teaching poetry, civil rights, The Harlem Renaissance, and even current events. Poetry. |
ALSO RELEASING THIS WEEK (MIDDLE GRADES):
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EARLY CHAPTER BOOKS (GRADES 1-4)
  | Fly Guy Presents: Castles (Tedd Arnold) Children across the nation voted for the topic of this Fly Guy Presents book, and the winning topic was... CASTLES! On their latest field trip, Fly Guy and Buzz learn all about castles: from drawbridges and dungeons to kings, queens, and knights! Narrative nonfiction. |
ALSO RELEASING THIS WEEK (EARLY CHAPTERS):
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PICTURE BOOKS (ALL AGES)
  | Egg (Kevin Henkes) A graphic novel for preschoolers about four eggs, one big surprise, and an unlikely friendship. Beautiful illustrations and multiple starred journal reviews. |
  | A Greyhound, A Groundhog (Emily Jenkins, Chris Appelhans) When a greyhound meets a groundhog, wordplay and crazy antics ensue. The two animals, much like kids, work themselves into a frenzy as they whirl around and around one another. (Around, round hound. Around, groundhog!) The pace picks up (Around and around and astound and astound!), until they ultimately wear themselves out. |
  | XO, OX: A Love Story (Adam Rex, Scott Campbell) The tale of love between a hapless ox and a fabulous gazelle, told in correspondence. Sounds really cute for Valentine's Day or for teaching students how to write letters. |
  | Wolf in the Snow (Matthew Cordell) A girl is lost in a snowstorm. A wolf cub is lost, too. How will they find their way home? A nearly-wordless picture book about kindness and loyalty. |
  | What's the Big Deal About First Ladies? (Ruby Shamir, Matt Faulkner) In addition to being hostesses, advocates, ambassadors, activists, patriots, and role-models, each first lady put her own stamp on the White House—and on our country. This fact-filled book tells readers just what made each first lady unique and why they were so important. Nonfiction. |
ALSO RELEASING THIS WEEK (PICTURE BOOKS):
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