New Releases--February 13, 2018

Apologies for a late post this week, but I was enjoying a week of abundant sunshine, white water rafting, and delicious vegan cuisine in Bali, Indonesia! It's a looonnnggg way to Indonesia from Shanghai! We traveled about 17 total hours yesterday, finally returning to our Shanghai apartment after 2am. A long and exhausting trip, but always totally worth it!

This week's new release list includes a new YA space opera (yay!), a companion/sequel to Bronx Masquerade, a transgender graphic novel, plus several cute middle grade choices. And now, I'm off to work on the list for February 20th!

Here are a couple of photos of the gorgeousness of Bali. The river is called the Ayung River, and it is full of gorgeous waterfalls and intricate stone cliff carvings. It was our first white water rafting trip, and it most definitely won't be our last!



NEW! Download a printable list of this week's New Release Spotlight! This is intended to be shared in libraries, so please feel free to print and share with your library patrons and staff. I can't promise this printable list will be available EVERY week, but it is my intention to create them with my weekly post from now on. Enjoy!


YOUNG ADULT (GRADES 7+):

Voices in the Air (Naomi Shihab Nye) A collection of almost one hundred original poems written by the award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye in honor of the artists, writers, poets, historical figures, ordinary people, and diverse luminaries from past and present who have inspired her. Full of words of encouragement, solace, and hope, this collection offers a message of peace and empathy. Recommended grade levels are all over the place: Booklist says Grades 9-12. Kirkus recommends ages 13-17. SLJ recommends Grades 5+. Multiple starred reviews. Poetry.

Interlude (Chantele Sedgwick) Here's one for my library's many fans of All the Bright Places! Flying to New York to talk her estranged birth mother into donating a kidney to her younger sister, eighteen-year-old Mia Cox forms an unexpected connection with her seatmate, a famous rock band's runaway lead singer. Grades 8+. No starred reviews, but this will be an easy sell in my library. Romance.

When Light Left Us (Leah Thomas) When the Vasquez siblings' father left, it seemed nothing could remedy the absence in their lives . . . until a shimmering figure named Luz appeared in the canyon behind their house. Luz filled the void. He shot hoops with seventeen-year-old Hank's hands. He showed fourteen-year-old Ana cinematic beauty behind her eyelids. He spoke kindly to eight-year-old Milo. But then Luz left, too, and he took something from each of them. As a new school year begins, Hank, Ana, and Milo must carry on as if an alien presence never altered them. Recommended for Grades 8+. Multiple starred reviews. Science fiction, aliens.

Honor Among Thieves (Rachel Caine, Ann Aguirre) Thieves, book 1. I love space operas! Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell. Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passenger. Give to fans of Starflight and A Thousand Pieces of You. Publishers Weekly starred. Science fiction, space opera.

Between the Lines (Nikki Grimes) Companion to Bronx Masquerade. A group of high school students grow in understanding of each other's challenges and forge unexpected connections as they prepare for a boys versus girls poetry slam. Includes author's note about foster home care. Recommended for Grades 7+. Poetry.

The Prince and the Dressmaker (Jen Wang) Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride--or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion! Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances―one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. Recommended for Grades 7-12. Multiple starred reviews. Graphic novel, transgender.

Don't Forget Me (Victoria Stevens) Debut author! Seventeen-year-old Hazel Clarke is no stranger to heartbreaks, and being sent to live with a father she’s never met is the latest in a string of them. Even the beauty of eastern Australia isn’t enough to take her mind off her mother and the life she had to leave behind in England. But when Hazel meets the friendly, kindhearted Red and his elusive twin, Luca, she begins the slow process of piecing together a new life—and realizes she isn’t the only one struggling with loss. I can't find any journal reviews on this title, but one of my favorite reviewers, MsYingling, says it contains teen drinking and language. Titlewave classifies it as YA. Contemporary romance.

Hamilton and Peggy!: A Revolutionary Friendship (L.M. Elliott) This is a great choice for readers who love the Broadway musical Hamilton! Peggy Schuyler has always felt like she's existed in the shadows of her beloved sisters: the fiery, intelligent Angelica and beautiful, sweet Eliza. But it's in the throes of a chaotic war that Peggy finds herself a central figure amid Loyalists and Patriots, spies and traitors, friends and family. When a flirtatious aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton, writes to Peggy asking for her help in wooing the earnest Eliza, Peggy finds herself unable to deny such an impassioned plea. A fast friendship forms between the two, but Alexander is caught in the same war as her father, and the danger to all their lives is real. Publisher's Weekly starred. Recommended for Grades 7+. Historical fiction.

Votes for Women: American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot (Winifred Conkling) On August 18, 1920, American women finally won the right to vote. Ratification of the 19th Amendment was the culmination of an almost eighty-year fight in which some of the fiercest, most passionate women in history marched, protested, and sometimes broke the law in to achieve this huge leap toward equal rights. Author Winifred Conkling covers not only the suffragists' achievements and politics but also the private journeys that fueled their passion and led them to become women's champions. Includes Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Victoria Woodhull, Sojourner Truth, and Alice Paul. Recommended for Grades 6-10. Kirkus and Publishers Weekly starred. Includes photos and newspaper clippings. Nonfiction, biography.

THIS WEEK'S SEQUELS (YA):




MIDDLE GRADES (GRADES 4-7):

Granted (John David Anderson) Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets is no ordinary fairy--she is a Granter: one of the select fairies whose job it is to venture out into the world and grant the wishes of unsuspecting humans every day. But with worldwide magic levels at an all-time low, this is not as easy as it sounds. On a typical day, only a small fraction of the millions of potential wishes gets granted. Today, however, is anything but typical. Because today, Ophelia is going to get her very first wish-granting assignment. And she's about to discover that figuring out how to truly give someone what they want takes much more than a handful of fairy dust. Recommended for Grades 3-6. Kirkus and SLJ starred. Fantasy.

Hunger: A Tale of Courage (Donna Jo Napoli) What to read after The War That Saved My Life? Try this one! In the autumn of 1846 in Ireland, twelve-year-old Lorraine and her family struggle to survive during the Irish potato famine, but when Lorraine meets Miss Susannah, the daugher of the wealthy English landowner who owns Lorraine's family's farm, they form an unlikely friendship that they must keep secret due to the deep cultural divide between their two families. Recommended for Grades 6-9. Booklist starred. Historical fiction, Irish Potato Famine.

Best Buds Under Frogs (Leslie Patricelli) For Lily, it's the worst first day of school ever. Who would want to be friends with the new girl, whose debut act is to throw up on the playground (on somebody's shoes!)? Fortunately, quirky Darby comes to the rescue. Darby likes frogs and candy and oddball stuff, and soon she and Lily have formed their own club -- the Rizzlerunk Club. But before you can say 'BFF,' Darby's former best friend, mean-spirited Jill -- who had moved to London -- returns unexpectedly. Can Lily and Darby's friendship survive the British invasion? Recommended for Grades 3-5. Illustrated. Realistic fiction, friendship.

Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans (Russell Ginns, Barbara Fisinger) Samantha Spinner, book 1. Recommended for fans of Mr. Lemoncello's Library. Samantha's uncle mysteriously disappears, leaving behind extravagant gifts for her siblings and an old, rusty, red umbrella for Samantha that may contain clues to his whereabouts. Illustrated. Mystery.

The Ambrose Deception (Emily Ecton, Gilbert Ford) With loads of Chicago landmarks, this is a must for Chicago-area schools! Melissa is a nobody. Wilf is a slacker. Bondi is a show-off. At least that's what their middle school teachers think. To everyone's surprise, they are the three students chosen to compete for a ten thousand-dollar scholarship, solving clues that lead them to various locations around Chicago. At first the three contestants work independently, but it doesn't take long before each begins to wonder whether the competition is a sham. Pairs great withThe Westing Game or Chasing Vermeer. Illustrated with emails, letters, and texts. Recommended for Grades 5-8. No starred reviews, but it will be a hit nonetheless. Mystery, adventure.

The Art of the Swap (Kristine Asselin, Jen Malone) Twelve-year-old Hannah Jordan has spent nearly all her life steeped in the history of Newport, Rhode Island. The Elms, the mansion where her dad works (and they both live), is one of the most esteemed historical properties on famed Bellevue Avenue. Of all the mysterious artifacts in the museum, Hannah is most drawn to the reproduction portrait of Maggie Dunlap, the twelve year-old subject of a famous painting stolen in a legendary art heist in 1905. Hannah never expects she’ll have a chance to experience Maggie's life for herself...until the day a mysterious mirror allows the two girls to change places in time. Recommended for Grades 4-7. Historical fiction, time travel.

The 11:11 Wish (Kim Tomsic) A tween math whiz tries to fit in at her new school by wishing on a magical cat clock only to suffer catastrophic consequences. Recommended for Grades 4-7. Fantasy, magical realism.

THIS WEEK'S SEQUELS (MIDDLE GRADES):




PICTURE BOOKS (ALL AGES):

Vincent Comes Home (Jessixa Bagley, Aaron Bagley) A sea-faring cat overhears some sailors excitedly talking about a place called home, somewhere Vincent has never been before. Great for classroom discussions of home and what qualities make a home.

This list also appears on my New Releases--Weekly Board on Pinterest: