New Book Releases for Kids & Teens: September 18, 2018

September's month of book awesomeness continues this week with 22 can't-miss new releases. As a lifelong horror reader, I cannot wait to get my hands on The Good Demon!

As with the past two weeks, I have only spotlighted the books I think are the most excellent and that I would personally add to our school's library. Other new releases are also listed below the featured titles, along with this week's sequels. Don't forget the books highlighted in purple are my picks for the best-of-the-best. There are so many purple titles this week--I LOVE SEPTEMBER!

As with the past two weeks, I have only spotlighted the books I think are the most excellent and that I would personally add to our school's library.

YOUNG ADULT (GRADES 7+):

Pride (Ibi Zoboi)
Urban retelling of Pride and Prejudice! Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable. When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister starts to fall for one of them. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding. Recommended for Grades 8+. Publishers Weekly and SLJ starred. Romance, retelling, realistic fiction.

Unclaimed Baggage (Jen Doll)
Debut author! Doris--a lone liberal in a conservative small town--has mostly kept to herself since the terrible waterslide incident a few years ago. Nell had to leave behind her best friends, perfect life, and too-good-to-be-true boyfriend in Chicago to move to Alabama. Grant was the star quarterback and epitome of "Mr. Popular" whose drinking problem has all but destroyed his life. What do these three have in common? A summer job working in a store called Unclaimed Baggage cataloging and selling other people's lost luggage. This sounds like an adult book, but the characters are teens. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Publishers Weekly starred. Romance, realistic fiction.

Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice (Bryan A. Stevenson)
This looks great--I just put the adult version on-hold through my public library! Bryan Stevenson delves deep into the broken U.S. justice system, detailing from his personal experience his many challenges and efforts as a lawyer and social advocate, especially on behalf of America's most rejected and marginalized people. Proceeds go to charity. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Booklist and Kirkus starred. Narrative nonfiction, memoir, criminal justice, discrimination.

The Deepest Roots (Miranda Asebedo)
Debut author! Cottonwood Hollow, Kansas, is a strange place. For the past century, every girl has been born with a special talent, like the ability to Fix any object, Heal any wound, or Find what is missing. To best friends Rome, Lux, and Mercy, their abilities often feel more like a curse. Rome may be able to Fix anything she touches, but that won't help her mom pay rent. Lux's ability to attract any man with a smile has always meant danger. And although Mercy can make Enough of whatever is needed, even that won't help when her friendship with Rome and Lux is tested. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Booklist starred. Paranormal, friendship.

Check, Please! (Ngozi Ukazu)
Eric Bittle is a former Georgia junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and amateur patissier. But as accomplished as he is, nothing could prepare him for his freshman year of playing hockey at the prestigious Samwell University in Samwell, Massachusetts. It's nothing like co-ed club hockey back in the South! For one? There's checking. Second, there is Jack--his very attractive but moody captain. This is a collection of the first half of the mega-popular webcomic series of the same name. Multiple starred reviews. Recommended for Grades 7+. Graphic novel, hockey, LGBT.

Twice Dead (Caitlin Seal)
Debut author! Naya, the daughter of a sea merchant captain, nervously undertakes her first solo trading mission in the necromancer-friendly country bordering her homeland of Talmir. Unfortunately, she never even makes it to the meeting. She's struck down in the streets of Ceramor. Murdered. But death is not the end for Naya. She awakens to realize she's become an abomination--a wraith, a ghostly creature bound by runes to the bones of her former corpse. She's been resurrected in order to become a spy for her country. Reluctantly, she assumes the face and persona of a servant girl named Blue. Recommended for Grades 8+. Paranormal romance, undead.

The Good Demon (Jimmy Cajoleas)
OMG, sign me up for this creepy tale! It wasn't technically an exorcism, what they did to Clare. When the reverend and his son ripped her demon from her, they called it a "deliverance." But they didn't understand that Clare and her demon--known simply as Her--were like sisters. She comforted Clare, made her feel brave, helped to ease her loneliness. They were each other's Only. Clare will do anything to get Her back, even if it means teaming up with the reverend's son and scouring every inch of her small, Southern town for answers. But if she sacrifices everything to bring back her demon, what will be left of Clare? Recommended for Grades 9-12. Multiple starred reviews. Horror, exorcism.

American Road Trip (Patrick Flores-Scott)
With a strong family, the best friend a guy could ask for, and a budding romance with the girl of his dreams, life shows promise for Teodoro "T" Avila. But he takes some hard hits the summer before senior year when his nearly perfect brother, Manny, returns from a tour in Iraq with a devastating case of PTSD. In a desperate effort to save Manny from himself and pull their family back together, T's fiery sister, Xochitl, hoodwinks her brothers into a cathartic road trip. Told through T's honest voice, this is a candid exploration of mental illness, socioeconomic pressures, and the many inescapable highs and lows that come with growing up--including falling in love. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Multiple starred reviews. Realistic fiction, mental health, PTSD.

A Heart and Body in the World (Deb Caletti)
Remember how Forrest Gump ran across the country when he needed to face his loneliness after Jenny left? This is about a teen girl who takes on a 2700 mile run across the USA as a way to help face trauma in her past. She's not alone though. Her grandpa, brother, and two friends follow behind in an RV, and soon, Annabelle becomes a media sensation and reluctant activist. Recommended for Grades 8-12. Multiple starred reviews. Realistic fiction, grief, school shootings.

Strange Grace (Tessa Gratton)
Once, a witch made a pact with a devil. The legend says they loved each other, but can the story be trusted at all? Find out in this lush, atmospheric fantasy novel that entwines love, lies, and sacrifice. Long ago, a village made a bargain with the devil: to ensure their prosperity, when the Slaughter Moon rises, the village must sacrifice a young man into the depths of the Devil's Forest. Only this year, the Slaughter Moon has risen early. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Kirkus starred. Fantasy, horror, LGBT.

Analee In Real Life (Janelle Milanes)
Ever since her mom died three years ago, Analee Echevarria has had trouble saying out loud the weird thoughts that sit in her head. With a best friend who hates her and a dad who's marrying a yogi she can't stand, Analee spends most of her time avoiding reality and role-playing as Kiri, the night elf hunter at the center of her favorite online game. Through Kiri, Analee is able to express everything real-life Analee cannot: her bravery, her strength, her inner warrior. The one thing both Kiri and Analee can't do, though, is work up the nerve to confess her romantic feelings for Kiri's partner-in-crime, Xolkar--a.k.a. a teen boy named Harris whom Analee has never actually met in person. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Romance, retelling of Pygmalion.

Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens (Marieke Nijkamp)
This anthology explores disability in fictional tales told from the viewpoint of disabled characters, written by disabled creators. With stories in various genres about first loves, friendship, war, travel, and more, Unbroken will offer today's teen readers a glimpse into the lives of disabled people in the past, present, and future. Topics include: mental illness, autism, anxiety, chronic pain, and gastrointestinal disease. The contributing authors are award winners, bestsellers, and newcomers including Kody Keplinger, Kristine Wyllys, Francisco X. Stork, William Alexander, Corinne Duyvis, Marieke Nijkamp, Dhonielle Clayton, Heidi Heilig, Katherine Locke, Karuna Riazi, Kayla Whaley, Keah Brown, and Fox Benwell. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Kirkus and Booklist starred. Short stories, disabilities.

Here to Stay (Sara Farizan)
When a cyberbully sends the entire high school a picture of basketball hero Bijan Majidi, photo-shopped to look like a terrorist, the school administration promises to find and punish the culprit, but Bijan just wants to pretend the incident never happened and move on. Recommended for Grades 7-12. VOYA starred. Realistic fiction, racial prejudice, basketball.

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees (Don Brown)
Keep these refugee books coming! Last week, We had Illegal Eoin Colfer, and this week, we have The Unwanted.Starting in 2011, refugees flood out of war-torn Syria in Exodus-like proportions. The surprising flood of victims overwhelms neighboring countries, and chaos follows. Resentment in host nations heightens as disruption and the cost of aid grows. By 2017, many want to turn their backs on the victims. The refugees are the unwanted. Recommended for Grades 9-12. Multiple starred reviews. Graphic novel, Syrian refugees.

Afterimage (Naomi Hughes)
A horrific explosion levels part of the city and Camryn Kingfisher is the sole survivor. Amidst controversy, conspiracy theories, and threats from government officials, Camryn longs for the truth. But the only person who she can turn to is a transparent boy in a lab coat named Quint. Unsure whether he's a hallucination or a ghost, Camryn has no choice but to trust him as they become embroiled in a plot that is bigger than either of them realize. Recommended for Grades 9+. Science fiction.

ALSO RELEASING THIS WEEK (YA):

THIS WEEK'S SEQUELS (YA):

MIDDLE GRADES (GRADES 4-7):

The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler (John Hendrix)
Adolf Hitler's Nazi party is gaining strength and becoming more menacing every day. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor upset by the complacency of the German church toward the suffering around it, forms a breakaway church to speak out against the established political and religious authorities. When the Nazis outlaw the church, he escapes as a fugitive. Struggling to reconcile his faith and the teachings of the Bible with the Nazi Party's evil agenda, Bonhoeffer decides that Hitler must be stopped by any means possible. Multiple starred reviews. Recommended for Grades 5-10. Narrative nonfiction, biography, WWII.

Nutmeg: Fall (James F. Wright, Jackie Crofts, Josh Eckert)
Not much in the way of reviews or even information about this series, but it looks like something that would be popular in my school. Follett says this comes out on October 9. Amazon says Sept. 18. Goodreads says August 2018, so who knows? Collects issues 1-6 of the coming-of-age culinary crime series in a single gorgeous volume. Witness Poppy and Cassia's emerging friendship and criminal scheming as they build their illicit brownie empire in an attempt to take down rival Saffron. Graphic novel, crime.

The Eleventh Trade (Alyssa Hollingsworth)
Debut author! When his grandfather's most-prized possession--a traditional Afghan instrument called a rebab--is stolen, 12-year old Sami resolves to get it back. He finds it at a music store, but it costs $700, and Sami doesn't have even one penny. What he does have is a keychain that has caught the eye of his classmate. If he trades the keychain for something more valuable, could he keep trading until he has $700? Sami is about to findout. Recommended for Grades 4-7. BCCB starred. Realistic fiction, refugees.

Love to Everyone (Hilary McKay)
Clarry Penrose finds the good in everyone. Even in her father, who isn't fond of children, and especially girls. He doesn't worry about her education, because he knows she won't need it. Her grandparents, who care for her in the summers, assume that she'll play nicely and do what she's told. It's the early twentieth century, after all, and the only thing girls are expected to do is behave. But Clarry longs for a life of her own. She wants to dive off cliffs and go swimming with her brother Peter and cousin Rupert. And more than anything, she wants to get an education. Recommended for Grades 5-8. BCCB and Booklist starred. Historical fiction, gender roles, WWI.

Thundercluck (Paul Tillery IV, Meg Wittwer)
An evil chef faces off against the god Thor, and a hen's egg is caught in the crossfire. It hatches into a powerful chick called Thundercluck, beloved by the gods but a target for evildoers everywhere. When the Under-Cook threatens to make everyone into rotisserie, there's only one chicken who can scramble his scheme. Recommended for Grades 3-6. Graphic novel, humor.

The Colors of the Rain (R.L. Toalson)
Ten-year-old Paulie Sanders hates his name because it also belonged to his daddy--his daddy who killed a fellow white man and then crashed his car. With his mama unable to cope, Paulie and his sister, Charlie, move in with their Aunt Bee and attend a new elementary school. But it's 1972, and this new school puts them right in the middle of the Houston School District's war on desegregation. Paulie soon begins to question everything. He hears his daddy's crime was a race-related one; he killed a white man defending a black man, and when Paulie starts picking fights with a black boy at school, he must face his reasons for doing so. Recommended for Grades 4-8. Free verse, race relations, historical fiction.

The Element in the Room: Investigating the Atomic Ingredients That Make Up Your Home (Mike Barfield, Lauren Humphrey)
My sixth-grade son is obsessed with science, especially the Periodic Table, so I know he will love this book! Did you know that without the 'lead' in your pencil, there would be no life on Earth? Or that diamonds and coal are both made from exactly the same thing? Or that the deadly ingredient used to make the most dangerous weapon in history can also be found in your bottled water? Absolutely everything in the universe is made up of just 92 elements! And from aluminum to zinc, many of these atomic ingredients can be found in your very own home. Recommended for Grades 3-6. Nonfiction, chemistry.

ALSO RELEASING THIS WEEK (MIDDLE GRADES):