 | This week, we have 22 new releases, most of which are YA or elementary. I also added one picture book that was released last week, but I wanted to make sure no one missed it since it is the companion to the super-cute picture book, Gaston. This week, I'm most excited for Dreamland Burning, Long May She Reign, and of course, the third Hilo graphic novel. |
YOUNG ADULT (GRADES 8+)
  | Long May She Reign (Rhiannon Thomas) As the 23rd person in line for the throne, Freya was never meant to be queen. But after a mass poisoning at a royal banquet, Freya becomes the reluctant queen. With the banquet murderer still at large, Freya can't trust anyone around her. Not her power-hungry father. Not the king's dashing illegitimate son. Freya knows she won't be safe until the murderer is found, so she decides to try to find the culprit herself. Fantasy, mystery. |
  | Education of Margot Sanchez (Lilliam Rivera) The publisher's summary compares this book to Pretty in Pink set in the South Bronx. Hmm... After “borrowing” her father's credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts. But she's determined to make it to an exclusive beach party and keep her reputation intact. Contemporary. |
  | Dreamland Burning (Jennifer Latham) Seventeen-year old Rowan Chase found a human skeleton on her family's property. Nearly one hundred years earlier, a misguided violent encounter propels seventeen-year-old Will Tillman into a racial firestorm. Told in alternating perspectives between now and 1921. Sounds amazing! Historical fiction, mystery, race, prejudice. |
  | Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined (Danielle Younge-Ullman) Another 80s movie comparison, this time to The Breakfast Club. Then: Ingrid traveled all over Europe with her opera star mother, Margot-Sophia. Life was beautiful and bright, and every day soared with music. Now: Ingrid is on a summertime wilderness survival trek for at-risk teens: addicts, runaways, and her. She’s fighting to survive crushing humiliations, physical challenges that push her to her limits, and mind games that threaten to break her. Contemporary, historical fiction. |
  | Optimists Die First (Susin Nielsen) Sixteen-year-old Petula de Wilde is anything but wild. A former crafting fiend with a happy life, Petula shut herself off from the world after a family tragedy. She sees danger in all the ordinary things, like crossing the street, a bug bite, or a germy handshake. She knows: life is out to get you. Contemporary romance. |
  | Ronit & Jamil (Pamela L. Laskin) Novel in verse; retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Ronit, an Israeli girl, lives on one side of the fence. Jamil, a Palestinian boy, lives on the other side. Only miles apart but separated by generations of conflict—much more than just the concrete blockade between them. Contemporary romance, retelling. |
ALSO RELEASING THIS WEEK (YA):
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MIDDLE SCHOOL (GRADES 5-8)
  | Hilo: The Great Big Boom (Judd Winick) I do not always feature third books in a series in my New Releases posts (I usually put them into the "Also releasing htis week" section), but this graphic novel is so popular, I decided it should be featured. This high-action series is funny and will appeal to the masses of Big Nate fans. If your library doesn't have it yet, what are you waiting for? Humor, adventure, graphic novel. |
  | Dominion (Shane Arbuthnott) How far will humans go to have dominion over everything? Molly grew up hearing the tales of Haviland Stout, her ancestor who discovered the dangerous magical spirits that inhabit the far corners of the world. Now, on the edge of the New World, in the British Dominion of Terra Nova, Molly and her family collect spirits aboard their airship, the Legerdemain. Adventure. |
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (GRADES 1-5)
  | The Adventures of Sherlock Bones: Doggone (Lauren Baratz-Logsted) Dr. Jane Catson, a surgeon injured in the Cat Wars has an afternoon nap interrupted by a most unusual occurrence. On the front lawn of her home, rather loud footsteps disturb her peace as Sherlock Bones, a Great Dane in a deerstalker claiming to be the greatest detective in the world arrives. After a quick critical examination of the intrusive dog whose enormous body blocks the entire sun from view, Catson has her doubts. But that’s not all. The monstrously-sized creature makes an even more astonishing claim. He has come to live with her! Humor, mystery. |
  | Sci-Fi Junior High (Scott Seegert, John Martin) The professional reviews for this one are not all that positive, but I chose to include it as a featured title anyway. I do think it looks like a book that will be popular in libraries, and I'm betting students may even ask for it by name. Kelvin Klosmo isn't just the new kid at school - he's the new kid in the galaxy! Welcome to Sci-Fi Junior High: an inter-galactic space station with students of all shapes, sizes, smells, and... slime content. As the son of Earth's two most famous geniuses, Kelvin isn't just the smartest kid in the world....he's the smartest kid in the UNIVERSE. At least, that's what everybody at Sci-Fi Junior High thinks. Science fiction, humor. |
ALSO RELEASING THIS WEEK (ELEMENTARY SCHOOL):
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PICTURE BOOKS (ALL AGES)
  | Steppin' Out: Jaunty Rhymes for Playful Times (Lin Oliver, Tomie dePaola) This collection of nineteen original poems features little ones eager to explore, whether it s splashing in puddles, riding in an elevator or through a car wash, or visiting the library. They go full-steam ahead to the park, the beach, and dance class, somewhat begrudgingly learn to share and get their first haircut, and enjoy lots of time with their families. |
  | Antoinette (Kelly DiPucchio) This one actually came out last week, but I didn't have it on the list. Raised in a family of talented bulldogs, Antoinette the poodle wonders what makes her special. She gets the chance to prove herself and find what she's good at when puppy Ooh-la-la goes missing. Companion to: Gaston. |