My LINKcat AccountIt has finally happened. I have no new books to report this week. Let me clarify. I have no new bestselling, popular adult author books to report. During Safer @ Home and subsequently, your library continued to order and receive new books. Hence I was able to tell you about new titles arriving locally even it you couldn't get a hold of those titles immediately. The publishing trade and book jobbers have been laboring under some of the same constraints we all have so that new titles are a tad slower to ship which helps to explain this lacuna. Even without the pandemic-based explanation for this gap in bestsellers, there is precedence. There have been times in the past when I was stuck without a book to tell you about. These times were as rare as hens's teeth. These times were as likely to occur as pigs flying, mules foaling, or a blue moons shining down upon us ( by the way, there will be a blue moon this October -- just saying). If you have scanned this page, you have, undoubtedly, noticed there are book titles below. These are new Children's and Young Adult titles. Since the last day of school occurred this week which we at the library hope will launch hundreds of students into our Summer Reading Program, I thought I would take this opportunity to share some books for our younger readers. Enjoy!
New Fiction
Roy Digs Dirt by David Shannon. Roy is an energetic white dog whose happiness centers on his very favorite thing, dirt. From sunrise to sunset, he burrows in it, rolls in it, and digs up buried treasures. There's terror in every terrier, and when Roy runs into the house after being sprayed by a skunk, he faces the dreaded bathtub. A driving story line with goofy illustrations make this a great read aloud. Jan digs Roy Digs Dirt!
Joy by Yasmeen Ismail. Illustrated by Jenni Desmond. A little kitten celebrates her love for life by bouncing, scampering, chasing her ball of yarn, racing around and exhibiting joy in her journey. She is full of life and is a little bundle of furry energy. This delightful rhyming book is full of movement, action words and very expressive.
Together We Grow by Susan Vaught. Illustrated by Kelly Murray. From award-winning novelist Susan Vaught comes a poignant picture book that celebrates inclusivity, acceptance, and the importance of rebuilding a community in the wake of disaster in this simple tale of a fox and her kits seeking shelter from a storm in a barn filled with barn animals.
What About Worms (Elephant & Piggie Like Reading) by Ryan T. Higgins and Mo Williams. Tiger is big. Tiger is tough. And Tiger has an important note for you, Dear Reader: “WATCH OUT FOR WORMS! They are everywhere! They might even be in this book! Your friend, Tiger. P. S. Tiger is afraid of worms.” This is a charming rather circular story. Fans of Elephant & Piggie (and Worms) will enjoy it.
Lion Needs a Haircut by Hyewon Yum This relatable story from award-winning author-illustrator Hyewon Yum explores the universal fear of first haircuts with honesty, tenderness, and humor.
This is Gus by Chris Chatterton. This is the story of Gus. He is one grumpy dog who doesn't like much of anything, especially making new friends. So what will Gus do when a little puppy comes barking into his life? Readers are invited to giggle their grumps away with Gus and his adorable, new puppy friend in this hilarious picture book.
I Will Dance by Nancy Bo Flood. Illustrated by Julianna Swaney. Like many young girls, Eva longs to dance. But unlike many would-be dancers, Eva has cerebral palsy. She doesn’t know what dance looks like for someone who uses a wheelchair. Then Eva learns of a place that has created a class for dancers of all abilities and begins to make her dreams come true.
Iggy Peck and the Mysterious Mansion (The Questioneers) by Andrea Beaty. Illustrated by David Roberts. Iggy Peck is an architect at his very core, so he’s totally blown away when Ada Twist’s Aunt Bernice inherits an old house from ice-cream mogul Herbert Sherbert that is filled with countless rooms from all his favorite architectural periods. But something’s not quite right. It will take all of Iggy’s knowledge of architecture and the help of the other Questioneers—Rosie Revere, Ada Twist, and Sofia Valdez—to solve the mystery and find the treasure!
Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio’s Journal by Rick Riordan. The fourth in a series of companion books to Rick Riordan's series, this one will focus on the Roman demigods' training camp in Northern California. When mysterious incidents start wreaking havoc throughout Camp Jupiter, suspicion falls on the Fourth Cohort's newest probatio. But is she really to blame?
Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl & Melissa de la Cruz. Bestselling authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz bring us a romantic retelling of Little Women starring Jo March and her best friend, the boy next door, Theodore "Laurie" Laurence.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. For the tenth anniversary, the Head Gamemaker brings in students from the Academy to act as a mentor to each of the tributes, and one of these students is 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow—President Snow, when we met him in The Hunger Games. Snow gets assigned the girl tribute from District 12, an underdog to be sure, but Lucy Gray Baird is her own flavor of Katniss—very different in style and personality, but no less compelling.