Happy July! Here are some of the books releasing this week:
Books for Kids – Board Books and Picture Books
My Little Super Hero Word Book (Board Book) – This darling board book introduces little “readers” to DC heroes and words that describe them like smart, strong and fast.
Beware the Flerken! – This hilarious new picture book stars Goose the Flerken from Captain Marvel. I can not wait to read the whole thing – the sample pages I have seen are fantastic!
Finding François: A Story of the Healing Power of Friendship – Alice, a piglet, in need of a friend, puts a message in a bottle which finds François, a dog. Over time, the friends correspond through bottle messages, but after a big life change, Alice can’t bring herself to send François another message. I want to see this in person to read about what happens to Alice.
I Got the School Spirit – From the author of I Got the Rhythm and I Got the Christmas Spirit comes a book about a girl who is ready to start a new school year.
Princess Power – On the first day at a new school, a girl thinks, “What would a princess do?”
Star Trek Alphabet Book – The latest Star Trek book from Little Golden Books.
Superhero vs. School – A young superhero tackles the fears that come with the first day of school.
We Will Rock Our Classmates – A sequel to the outstanding We Don’t Eat Our Classmates (♥♥♥♥♥). This time, Penelope the dinosaur is participating in the school talent show. This is at the top of my wish list for this week.
Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist – The story of Mary Anning’s dinosaur find. This looks amazing!
How to Write a Story – The sequel to How to Read a Story by super-author Kate Messner. Covers the steps for writing a story, from coming up with an idea to creating conflict for your character. A terrific addition to elementary classrooms and writing spaces.
If You Want a Friend in Washington: Wacky, Wild & Wonderful Presidential Pets – Picture book exploring the pets who have resided in the White House.
Books for Kids – Early Readers and Early Chapter Books
Batman: Harley at Bat! – A new Early Reader starring Harley Quinn. Includes stickers.
Wonder Woman: Three Big Bullies! – Wonder Woman goes up against Giganta and other big villains in this new Early Reader with stickers.
WW84: Destined for Greatness – A new Early Reader tied to the new Wonder Woman movie coming out… eventually. Includes pictures from the movie. Young Diana competes for the first time in the Amazon Games.
13th Street: Battle of the Bad Breath Bats AND The Fire- Breathing Ferret Fiasco AND Clash of the Cackling Cougars – The first three books in a new Early Chapter Book series about three cousins who find a street populated by dangerous beasts.
Baby-Sitters Little Sister: Karen’s Roller Skates (Graphic Novel) – Book 2 in this graphic novel spin-off series. Karen is excited to use her new skates, but she falls and breaks her wrist.
The Bad Guys: Dawn of the Underlord – Book 11 in the Bad Guys series – The guys are about to celebrate a recent victory when they make a discovery.
The Binder of Doom: Hydrant-Hydra – Binder of Doom, book 4. The kids think they are teaming up against a hot monster, but it’s a water monster instead.
Diary of a Pug: Paws for a Cause – Diary of a Pug, book 3, from Scholastic BRANCHES. Bub and his human hold a fundraiser to buy toys for the animal shelter – a pet wash!
Dragon’s Halloween – Dragon is getting ready for Halloween in this new book from Scholastic ACORN.
Magic Tree House: Late Lunch with Llamas – Book 34 in the newly-renumbered Magic Tree House series. Jack and Annie climb Machu Picchu to rescue a stolen baby llama.
Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Llamas and the Andes – The nonfiction companion book to Late Lunch with Llamas.
Books for Older Kids/Teens
After the Worst Thing Happens – When Army’s dog dies, she knows it’s an accident, but she also knows it was her fault. She takes her grief and turns it into action by watching out for a new kid in the neighborhood.
Dress Coded (Older Middle Grade) – An eighth grader starts a podcast to protest an unfair dress code at her school that targets girls for things that are outside their control. This is also at the top of my wish list for this week.
Elements of Genius: Nikki Tesla and the Traitors of the Lost Spark – Book 3 in the Elements of Genius series. I got such a kick out of the first book! In this book, Genius Academy is under attack, and Nikki and her friends need to clear their names in order to get their school back when they take the blame for an international incident. I am a book behind, but I’m looking forward to getting caught up on Nikki’s adventures.
Seekers of the Wild Realm – First of two books about two kids who secretly care for a baby dragon while an enemy stirs up trouble for their village.
Upside Down Magic: Hide and Seek – Book 7 in the Upside Down Magic series. This time, Nory and her friends have to leave their magic school because of flooding and go instead to her dad’s magic school – the one she wasn’t good enough to attend. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Black Heroes: A Black History Book for Kids: 51 Inspiring People from Ancient Africa to Modern-Day USA – This is a gorgeous book of biographies of Black figures in history including Egyptian pharaohs and African tribal leaders as well as modern scientists and athletes. The layout is an illustrated picture on the left and the biography on the right. The sample pages are beautiful. At the time of this writing, this book is available to read for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers. This one is on my list for this week, too.
History Smashers: The Mayflower AND Women’s Right to Vote – Even more books by Kate Messner are on our list this week! The History Smashers series kicks off this week with two books about the Mayflower and Women’s Suffrage. There will be a third book out this fall on Pearl Harbor.
I Am Not a Label: 34 Artists, Thinkers, Athletes and Activists with Disabilities from Past and Present – Another biography collection, although I haven’t yet seen any pages to tell you how the book is laid out. I love the idea of this. This would be a great addition to classroom libraries looking to add diversity to the shelves as well as to conversations about history and historical figures.
Books for Teens/Young Adults
Accidental – A teen discovers her role in the death of her mother, something she had always been told was a car accident.
Cinderella Is Dead (LGBTQ+) – Two hundred years after Cinderella had her magical night at the ball, the kingdom’s young women must appear at a similar event where they are ogled and selected by the men of the kingdom. The girls who go unchosen are never seen again. One young woman flees from the ball and meets the last descendant of Cinderella’s family, and together they hatch a plot to bring down the king once and for all. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Daphne and Velma: The Dark Deception – Book 2 in the Daphne and Velma series based on characters from Scooby-Doo. This time the girls are looking into what happened to the original settlers of Crystal Cove.
Faith Taking Flight – From the author of Dumplin‘. An origin story of Faith Herbert/Zephyr, a character from Valiant Entertainment comics.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn – A princess cursed to be poisonous to touch looks for answers from a demon in the palace dungeon and for love from a young man who isn’t afraid of her.
Love, Jacaranda – A foster kid with a mother in jail gets the chance at a new life when a video of her singing goes viral.
Not Another Love Song – A high school senior enters a songwriting contest for her idol, but when a new guy shows up at school, she might have to choose between her musical dreams and a chance at love.
A Peculiar Peril – First in a new series. A teen who inherits a mansion discovers a path to an alternate Earth called Aurora. As the teen discovers his place in a society tasked with keeping Earth and Aurora separate, evil comes for him and his friends.
The Princess Will Save You – When the stable-boy she loves is kidnapped to force her into a political marriage, a princess fights back. This is on my list for this week.
The Voting Booth – When a teen passionate about voting and civil engagement sees another teen turned away at the polls, she drops everything to help him get his vote counted.
Into the Streets: A Young Person’s Visual History of Protest in the United States – A survey of historical protests in the life of the United States.
Books for Adults
The Backpacking Bride (July 10 – e-book) – Book 3 in the Backpacking Housewife series. When her fiancé dies during the final moments of their wedding ceremony, Maya’s life is upended. She responds by setting off on the honeymoon he planned for them. I have this on my list for this week, too.
Boyfriend Material (Trade Paperback – LGBTQ+) – Two young men in need of dates – one who actually needs a whole new reputation – agree to pretend to date to deal with their individual issues. But spending all that time together in a fake relationship has a way of starting to feel real after awhile.
Christmas in Bayberry (Trade Paperback) – From Hallmark Publishing. A guy sent to check out a small candle company in his home town for his job runs into his old crush, whose family runs the struggling candle company.
Haunted Heroine (Trade Paperback) – Book 4 in the Heroine Complex series. Evie and Aveda go undercover to investigate a series of “hauntings” at a local women’s college. It gives Evie, who has mixed feelings about her pregnancy, a chance to see what her life might have been like if she had stayed in grad school instead of becoming a demon-fighting superhero.
The Heir Affair (Hardcover) – Sequel to The Royal We. Bex and Prince Nicholas are in self-imposed exile after their disastrous wedding ceremony. Everyone is furious with them and the paparazzi can’t wait to see what disaster happens next. A crisis calls the new couple back home where they must deal with not only the new issues, but also with the fall out they left behind the first time.
Muzzled (Hardcover) – Book 21 in the terrific Andy Carpenter series. Andy receives a call for help from a friend who is contacted by a dead man looking for his dog. I’ll be reviewing this one soon!
Not Like the Movies (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Waiting for Tom Hanks series. (Waiting for Tom Hanks: ♥♥♥♥) Annie used her best friend Chloe and Chloe’s boss, Nick, as inspiration for her movie which is about to release. But Chloe isn’t certain her real life will have a happy ending like the one in the movie. You can read my full review here.
Of Mutts and Men (Hardcover) – Book 10 in the Chet & Bernie Mystery series. Chet and Bernie find a potential new client dead before they can find out why the man wanted to meet. Even though they aren’t being paid, they start to investigate the murder.
One to Watch (Trade Paperback) – A plus-size fashion blogger gets a call to star in the next season of her favorite reality dating show. She agrees with the stipulation that she will not be falling in love. She is doing this to advance her career and show that you don’t have to be a size 0 to find love on television. But the swoony suitors and the emotional highs and lows of the show could push her to give love a chance. This is on my list, too.
You Again (Hardcover) – A married woman with a career and kids is haunted by sightings of her younger self which leaves her questioning her choices as her life barrels towards a crossroads.
The Book of Isaiah 12- Week Study Guide (Trade Paperback) – Part of the Passionate Life Bible Study series. Discover God’s love through the book of Isaiah. I haven’t yet seen how this is structured, but looking at the structure of the study of the book of John shows thought questions even for the introductory material like authorship and themes. The study of John looks very thorough. I have this one on my list for the future.
Say It Louder!: Black Voters, White Narratives, and Saving Our Democracy (Hardcover) – Look at the impact of Black voters on the 2018 midterm elections as well as historical moments of Black impact as well as efforts to shut down Black voters.