Happy July! I hope this week finds you enjoying your summer and, if you are in the US, looking forward to celebrating Independence Day. Here are some new books out this week that you might want to make part of your holiday celebration.
Books for Kids
Battle on the Moon – Captain Marvel teams up with the Avengers in this Little Golden Book.
First Day of Groot – A celebration of learning and firsts with Groot and the Guardians of the Galaxy
I’m Trying to Love Math – An alien helps the reader see that math is all around us. This looks adorable! Perfect for classroom use.
The King of Kindergarten – In this darling story, a boy uses all of the things his parents taught him to have a great first day of Kindergarten.
Little Red Reading Hood and the Misread Wolf – A girl uses what she has learned from her reading to help her on a trip to her grandmother’s house.
The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! – Mo Willems’ Pigeon is off to school.
Too Many Tribbles – Little Golden Books takes on the Star Trek tribbles. This is on my list for this week.
Rocket’s Very Fine Day – Rocket the dog is back in this leveled reader about Rocket and his friend enjoying a lovely day together.
School of Fish – A fish is off to his first day of school in this leveled reader. First in a new series.
Uni’s First Sleepover – Uni the Unicorn’s first leveled reader! Uni struggles at a sleepover for the first time.
Books for Older Kids, Teens, Young Adults
Awesome Dog 5000 – A trio of video game-loving kids find an adventure in the real world when they discover a robotic dog. First in a new series.
The Echo Park Castaways – A trio of foster kids tries to adjust to a new arrival who throws the whole house into chaos.
Emperor of the Universe – A boy, his gerbil, and a package of ground beef are beamed onto an alien space ship. That description just BEGS for you to pick the book up and check it out!
Tom Swift’s Inventors’ Academy: The Drone Pursuit AND The Sonic Breach – First in a new series about a group of kids at the Swift Academy of Science and Technology. The first book is about the kids investigating the school custodian for being a spy, and the second is about a robotics club and a new phone app that could be helping kids cheat. Both stories sound terrific! An Alex Rider-type story for the younger middle grade crowd.
To the Forgotten Castle – Book 5 in the Finding Tinker Bell series of the Never Girls. The Never Girls and the fairies team up to find Tinker Bell.
Who Is Oprah Winfrey?
The Odd Sisters – Book 6 in the Disney Villains series. In the first five books, the Odd Sisters have meddled in the lives of other villains, but it’s time to find out who they are and what their story is.
Queen of Ruin – Sequel to Grace and Fury. The sisters have changed so much after the events of book one, and now they will team up to ensure that the revolution begun on Mount Ruin can sweep across the entire kingdom and kick off much needed change for everyone. I adored the first book! I can’t wait to read what happens next.
Symptoms of a Heart Break – A 16-year-old doctor arrives for her first day treating pediatric cancer patients and risks her future when she falls in love with a patient. I’m intrigued by this one – the full description talks about how she deals with skeptical adults in her new job and I am curious to read how she handles that.
Teen Titans: Raven – The latest graphic novel for teens from DC focuses on the story of Raven. Raven has lost her foster mother and finds herself in a new home (with her foster mom’s sister and niece), new school and new town. And some weird new abilities are developing, but Raven can’t remember anything from before the accident that killed her foster mother. Is she strong enough to dig into her past for the truth? I’ve always been fascinated by Raven’s character! I’ll be reviewing this one later this week.
Books for Adults
Booking the Crook (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 7 in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery series. While the bookmobile program is in danger thanks to a new library board chair, Minnie and her cat Eddie are determined to keep doing their work with a smile. When Minnie finds one of their regulars dead in the snow, she knows they will be sleuthing once again.
The Gifted School (Hardcover) – When an exclusive school for the gifted opens in their town, a group of friends start showing their competitive and ambitious sides – and it has a huge impact on their kids, their marriages and their friendships.
Heart of Barkness (Hardcover) – Book 9 in the Chet and Bernie Mystery series. Look at that cover!! That cover is the whole reason I bought the first book in the series. I have to read through the first 8 books so I can get to this one! Chet and Bernie head out to a dive bar to hear a famous country singer. The $100 they place in the tip jar is stolen multiple times that night which launches them into the most puzzling case of their partnership.
The Me I Used to Be (Trade Paperback) – Evangeline is wrapping up 4 years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit when she gets word that her father has died. The officer who arrested her offers her a deal – help him hunt down the real culprits, and he’ll get her record cleared. Evangeline is not the same woman now that she was before prison. Her family wants nothing to do with her – and they are even more bitter when her dad’s will is read, and she is put in charge of the future of the family ranch. There are a lot of things stacked against her, but Evangeline is determined to get her freedom and reclaim her life after the years that were stolen from her. I’ll be reviewing this one next week – it was terrific!
Protect the Prince (Trade Paperback) – EEEEK! It’s finally here! This is the sequel to Kill the Queen, my FAVORITE book from 2018. I have had this pre-ordered for ages. I can’t wait to hold this one in my hands and dive in. Book 2 in the Crown of Shards series. Evie has her hands full with assassins, quarreling nobles who only want her crown, and pursuing an essential alliance with a neighboring kingdom. And she finds herself falling for a guy – and that relationship would be awfully complicated. With dark forces at work, Evie has to wonder if she is even strong enough to be a Winter Queen. Eeek! I can’t wait to read this.
A Thread of Darkness (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Queen Bees Quilt Shop mystery series. When the wife of the local celebrity chef is found murdered, he is the prime suspect. The Crestwood Quilters are on the case to keep him out of jail.
Unsung Heroine (e-book novella) – A new novella addition to the Heroine Complex series (Heroine Complex, Heroine Worship, Heroine’s Journey). This is Lucy’s story. Lucy is the superhero bodyguard for Evie and Aveda. Lucy has had a crush on the head of the demon unit at the police department, but she’s afraid Rose won’t like the real Lucy. But when Lucy is displaced as the queen of karaoke at her favorite bar, strange and supernatural things seem to be at work. Which means Lucy and Rose are working on the case. Together. I have only read the first book in the original trilogy, but I loved it. I can’t wait to get caught up on these characters.
Wanderers (Hardcover) – Shana’s little sister is the first person she knows who starts the sleepwalking thing – she can’t be awakened, and she is marching determinedly toward something only she knows. Shana follows along to keep her sister safe. And then they join up with others around the country who are in the same situation. Fear and violence follow as the country wonders about the cause of the epidemic – and where it is all leading. This sounds amazing!
Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US (Trade Paperback) – A former inmate turned preacher shares this love letter to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America calling Christians to renewal through racial equality and justice.