Happy May! Spring is in the air, Mother’s Day is right around the corner. There’s plenty of reason to celebrate with a new book. Here are some of the books releasing this week.
Books for Kids
The Story of Rap AND The Story of Rock (Board Books) – Darling board books celebrating the history of Rap and Rock.
Cowhide-and-Seek – When the farmer starts counting his cows, Bessie thinks it’s the beginning of a game of hide and seek. This looks adorable!
Forky in Craft Buddy Day – Some of the characters from Toy Story 4 appear in this story from the author of The Day the Crayons Quit.
The Karate Kid (Classic Illustrated Storybook)
Lambslide – When a girl says she’s running for class president and her family says she’ll win in a “landslide,” the lambs outside hear “Lambslide” and start searching for this special slide made just for them. Sounds hilarious!
Llama Destroys the World – A llama who loves cake accidentally kicks off the destruction of the world. Yep, I have to check this one out!
The Sad Little Fact – A fact who can’t tell a lie is locked up until a group of fact finders help free the facts and save the day.
David Bowie – Picture book biography
The Eternal Soldier: The True Story of How a Dog Became a Civil War Hero – The true story of a dog at the Battle of Gettysburg.
The Moon’s First Friends: How the Moon Met the Astronauts from Apollo 11 – A celebration of the Apollo 11 flight.
Teddy: The Remarkable Tale of a President, a Cartoonist, a Toymaker and a Bear – A blend of fact and fiction about the first teddy bear and its ties to President Roosevelt.
Harold & Hog Pretend for Real! – Dan Santat authors this new book about a pair of friends who pretend they are Piggie and Gerald.
Splat the Cat and the Lemonade Stand – Splat needs to earn money to go to the water park.
A Is for Elizabeth AND Big Mouth Elizabeth – A new transitional chapter book series that is a spin off from the Justin Case series. This looks darling!
Dead Sea Squirrels: Squirreled Away AND Boy Meets Squirrels – A new transitional chapter book series from one of the creators of Veggie Tales, Mike Nawrocki. The series focuses on a boy who finds two 2,000-year-old squirrels preserved at an archaeological dig site. When the squirrels are revived, they share stories and lessons they learned from Jesus. I am eager to try one of these out.
Lost at Sea – Book 7 in the Puppy Pirates series.
Polly Diamond and the Super Stunning Spectacular School Fair – Book 2 in the Polly Diamond series about a girl with a magic book that creates whatever she writes.
Tales from Vader’s Castle – Kids graphic novel collection of stories that sound like Scooby-Doo adventures set in the Star Wars universe.
My Weird Reading Tips – Dan Gutman’s nonfiction series turns to reading tips including information on context clues and main ideas.
Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults
The Doughnut King – Sequel to The Doughnut Fix. Tris has launched his donut business, but it’s so popular he can’t keep up with demand. A reality TV cooking show could be his chance to get the money for a machine that will speed up the production process. I’ll be reviewing this one tomorrow – it was excellent!
Emily Out of Focus – Two girls meet when their families travel to China to adopt. One of the girls was adopted from China, and she is determined to find her birth mother while she is there. I’ve requested this one from the library!
Endling: The First – Book 2 in Katharine Applegate’s Endling series about near-extinction, finding family, and a potential war. The first book has received rave reviews.
Fenway and Hattie in the Wild – Book 4 in the Fenway and Hattie series. Fenway notices some new things about his girl, Hattie, when the family goes on a camping trip. The description makes this sound like Fenway tells the story, and I love books where the pets tell stories from their perspectives.
Finding Orion – The latest from John David Anderson. When a boy’s quirky grandfather dies, his family heads out for the funeral, but nothing goes like they expect. I’m eager to read this one.
Jaclyn Hyde – A Dr. Jekyll/Mr Hyde story starring an eager-to-please girl who thinks the secret to life is to be as perfect as possible. This sounds amazing, too.
Just Jaime – Book 3 in the Emmie & Friends graphic novel series. In this book, two friends at the end of 7th grade struggle to figure out where they fit in their friend group.
Mr. Bambuckle Rule the School AND Class 12B Fights Back – A new series about an unusual teacher, the kids who love him, and the principal who wants him gone.
Mr. Lemoncello’s All-Star Breakout Game – Kyle Keeley is back in this 4th Lemoncello book. This time, Mr. Lemoncello is launching a TV network where kids can compete in live action Lemoncello games. I have requested this one from the library, too.
Once Upon a Twist: The Kitty Mermaid – The latest from Ever After High.
Order of the Majestic – In this new fantasy book, a boy is sucked into an old theater where he finds out that magic is real, but it is dying out. The boy has a chance to make a difference, but his efforts put him in the middle of an ancient battle.
Shouting at the Rain – Two friends explore their home area around Cape Cod while also wrestling with family and friend issues. This one is already getting some positive buzz.
Soldier Dogs: Victory at Normandy – Book 4 in the Soldier Dogs series.
The Startup Squad – First in a new series about a group of girls competing in a lemonade stand competition.
Toby’s Story – Book 5 in the Dog’s Purpose Puppy Tales series. A beagle puppy finds his purpose as a comfort animal. This sounds sweet.
Toy Story 4 Junior Novel – Junior Novel for the upcoming movie
Up for Air – A swimming star starts to wonder who she is without her sport when a prank goes wrong and she loses her opportunity to swim for the high school team.
What Is NASA? AND What Was the Vietnam War?
Bible Infographics for Kids Volume 2: Light and Dark, Heroes and Villains, and Mind-Blowing Bible Facts – Infographics are illustrations of facts and figures. I adore them! I’m interested in checking out this book of infographics based on the Bible. A fantastic format for visual learners.
Again But Better – A college student who has done all the academic things right, but who has no social life to speak of decides to take a semester in London and find all the college experiences she’s been missing.
All Our Broken Pieces – A girl with compulsions hopes that this time things in her life will be different, better while the boy next store sees her as a muse for his songwriting.
Aurora Rising – A rising star risks his future as the lead of an elite squad in order to save the sole survivor on a space ship that disappeared 200 years ago. This one choice will set their universe on an unexpected course. This is a terrifically fun space romp! I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Broken Throne – Includes 5 novellas (three new, two previously released) set in the world of the Red Queen series.
The Goodbye Summer – A girl who is counting down the days to her 17th birthday so she can run away with her older boyfriend, makes a new friend over the summer and starts to question her plans to leave town.
Hope and Other Punchlines – A girl forever remembered as “Baby Hope” after a photo of her from 9/11 went viral and a boy whose life was also fundamentally changed on that day meet while working a day camp. Together they encounter difficult questions about the impact of that day and that photo. SOOO excited to read this one!
Last Things – A teen with world-class talent considers where to take his musical gifts after high school while an odd girl seems to always be in the background – lurking or protecting? This sounds spooky and amazing!
The Lovely and the Lost – A girl and her adoptive family train search and rescue dogs. They are called in to find a missing girl on a mountain, but the search digs up the past for the girl, her adoptive brother and their mom. This was AMAZING! I’ll be reviewing it later this week.
Romanov – The story of Anastasia Romanov with a magical and romantic twist. This sound fantastic!
The Rule of Many – Book 2 in the Rule of One series. A pair of twins, living in a dystopian America with a one-child rule gear up for a showdown with the government that would see them dead.
Somewhere Only We Know – The biggest K-Pop star is about to debut on The Tonight Show, but for now she is just desperate for a hamburger, even if she has to sneak out of her hotel to get one. A tabloid reporter is trying to sneak into a hotel for a story when a familiar girl walks by in her slippers, determined to track down a burger. This sounds delightful! I can’t wait to see what happens with these two!
This Is Not a Love Scene – A film student with muscular dystrophy thinks there’s no room in her life for romance, but the hot older guy starring in her senior project might just change her mind.
Tinfoil Crowns – A teen looking to make it big in the world of online videos hits a roadblock when her mom – who tried to kill her when she was three – is released from prison. When her mom moves back in with the family, the teen’s online fans can tell something is up and dig up her tragic past. This is a fascinating story idea – I can’t wait to read this one!
With the Fire on High – A teen mother with a talent in the kitchen wonders if her dream of being a chef is even possible. Look at that cover! Wow. How can you NOT pick this one up to check it out?
Books for Adults
The Big Kahuna (Hardcover) – Book 6 in the Fox and O”Hare series. An FBI agent and a con man team up to track down a missing Silicon Valley billionaire.
The Bride Test (Trade Paperback) – From the author of The Kiss Quotient. A Vietnamese man on the autism spectrum isn’t sure that there is room in his life for romance, so his mother takes the situation into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him a bride. This looks great. The internet has been buzzing about this one for ages.
A Deadly Feast (Hardcover) – Book 9 in the Key West Food Critic mystery series. Hayley is days away from Thanksgiving and her post-holiday wedding when she gets a call from a friend whose business is in danger because a customer dropped dead on the seafood tasting tour.
Dying for Devil’s Food (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 11 in the Cupcake Bakery mystery series. It’s murder at the high school reunion – one of my FAVORITE sorts of mysteries. I’m going to have to get caught up on this series soon so I can check this book out.
For a Good Paws (Trade Paperback) – Book 5 in the Barkery & Biscuits mystery series. The man who was in prison for 10 years for killing the local mayor stirs up trouble when he returns to Knobcone Heights and the mayor’s widowed husband is found dead. Interesting premise on this one!
Middlegame (Hardcover) – Twins, one with a gift for language, the other with a gift for numbers, are being manipulated and used by their creator in a quest for power. This standalone fantasy sounds amazing!
Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors (Trade Paperback) – How can a prominent neurosurgeon be the “black sheep” of her family? This is the story of the Raje family, an Indian American family that lives by strong rules and high expectations, and the daughter who is trying to redeem herself in their eyes. This sounds fascinating!
Read on Arrival (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Bookmobile Mystery series. Just as Cleo is getting ready to unveil the renovated library to the community, her plans are put in jeopardy by members of her board and the murder of her library nemesis, a woman with a 40-year-old overdue library book. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
The Scent of Murder (Hardcover) – A woman who trains cadaver dogs discovers a body in an abandoned building. I’ll be reviewing this one soon, too.
Shuri: The Search for Black Panther (Paperback Graphic Novel) – A comics collection telling the story of Shuri, princess of Wakanda. When her brother T’Challa is lost on a mission in space, everyone looks to Shuri to step forward, but she knows she is happier in her lab than on the throne. I can not WAIT to read this. And I’ve looked at the next book, out in October, and it looks spectacular!
The Art of Toy Story 4 (Hardcover Coffee Table Book) – Art for the new movie
Every Tool’s a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It (Hardcover) – From one of the stars of Mythbusters comes this book about creativity and problem solving.
It’s the Manager (Hardcover) – The latest from Gallup about leadership, business, and personnel management.
Let Love Have the Last Word (Hardcover) – A memoir from actor, musician and activist, Common
Millenneagram: The Enneagram Guide for Discovering Your Truest, Baddest Self (Hardcover) – A modern, sometimes irreverent, spin on the classic 9 types. I have this at the top of my list for this week.
My Life in Lists: An Illustrated Journal to Record Your Loves, Goals and Dreams (Paperback Journal) – Over 100 pages of guided journal entries/lists. This is on my personal list, too.
Rise of the Servant Kings: What the Bible Says about Being a Man (Hardcover) – Written on the premise that masculinity is found through surrender to God. Part of the Promise Keepers movement.
The Way We Eat Now: How the Food Revolution Has Transformed Our Lives, Our Bodies, and Our World (Hardcover) – How the world has changed regarding food/eating over the last two generations.