Hello Kid Lit Friends!
The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission is coming up, and I am seeing A LOT of new books about the moon coming across my desk these days. I’ll do a big round-up of nonfiction moon books closer to July 20th, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing and the first steps on the moon, but for now enjoy all of these new releases celebrating our wonderful moon. (FYI: The moon is often used as symbolism in the title of children’s books – did you see the roundup of books with the word “moon” in the title that ran on this newsletter a couple of months ago?)
As always, if I’ve had the chance to read one of these books and loved it, I marked it with a 
. Please note that all descriptions come from the publisher.
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With a JLG selection and starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, PW, and the SL Connection, these five novels showcase MCs with whom young readers will instantly connect. An inventor flees his home to chase his destiny in WALTER. A magician finds wonder in his little brother’s disability in SUPER JAKE. A Southern girl uses her wit to learn what’s true in LYNDIE. A girl discovers her photographic memory as her grandmother loses hers in MEMORY. A Romanian girl finds her voice during the end of the 1989 Communist regime in STORY. Add hope, courage, and curiosity to your shelf today!
Picture Book New Releases
Imagine That by Alison Oliver
Sun loves everything about playing soccer: the cheers, the competition, the winning. But he feels as though something is missing. When he sees his younger brother spread out on the floor, creating a wondrous piece of art, he remembers how much he loves to make things. He goes to the beach to think, and it’s there that a magical encounter with a fox helps him reconnect with a long-forgotten source of happiness.
Lena’s Slippers by Ioana Hobai
Lena can’t wait to twirl and leap onstage at her school dance recital, but her family does not have the money to pay for new ballet slippers. As the day of the recital draws closer, Lena struggles to come up with a creative solution to reach her shining moment on stage, learning along the way that what you do is more important than what you wear.
Count on Me by Miguel Tanco
Everyone has a passion. For some, it’s music. For others, it’s art. For our heroine, it’s math. When she looks around the world, she sees math in all the beautiful things: the concentric circles a stone makes in a lake, the curve of a slide, the geometric shapes in the playground. Others don’t understand her passion, but she doesn’t mind. There are infinite ways to see the world. And through math is one of them.
Prince Bertram the Bad by Arnold Lobel
Once upon a time a prince was born. The kingdom was excited and proud. But Prince Bertram was not a thoughtful boy. He broke all of his toys, put spiders in the soup, and pulled up all the roses in the royal garden. If that wasn’t bad enough, he loved to shoot pebbles at townsfolk with his peashooter! As each year passed, he grew naughtier and more unkind . . . until the day a witch cast a spell on him for his bad behavior. Will Bertram learn to be kind and eventually break the curse?
Imagine That by Jonathan D. Voss
Olive is a little girl with a big, bright imagination. Hoot is her stuffed-animal owl…and her best friend. The two love adventures of all sorts. But on the rainiest of days, there is only one thing to do: stay inside and imagine a whole new world. Just as they’re about to begin their adventure, Hoot makes a shocking discovery―his imagination is broken! Like the best of best friends, Olive comes up with some ideas to help him. But nothing is working: not the head unscrambler, the earmuffs, or the hypnosis. Just as the two are about to give up, Olive remembers the secret ingredient to imagination, and they give it one more try.
Codzilla by David Zeltser, illustrated by Jared Chapman
Bertie is the BIGGEST codfish in school. He loves reading about sharks more than anything, but he’s teased about his size by the littler fish in his school. When they start calling him Codzilla, he gets fed up and starts living up to the name. But when danger strikes from the deep in the form of a shark, Bertie must use his vast shark knowledge and his sizeable heart to save his friends.
A Curious Menagerie by Carin Berger
From a flamboyance of flamingos to a mischief of mice, this gorgeous picture book introduces readers to sixty collective animal nouns in a fun and unusual way! Illustrated with show-stopping collage art by acclaimed author-illustrator Carin Berger, A Curious Menagerie is a delightfully engaging read-aloud sure to delight and expand vocabularies.
Sumo Joe by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Nat Iwata
On Saturday mornings, Sumo Joe is a gentle big brother to his little sister. But on Saturday afternoons, he and his friends are sumo wrestlers! They tie on makeshift mawashi belts, practice drills like teppo, and compete in their homemade dohyo ring. They even observe sumo’s ultimate rule: no girls allowed! But when Sumo Joe’s little sister wants to join in the fun, Sumo Joe is torn between the two things he’s best at: sumo, and being a big brother.
Chapter Book New Release
Little Lunch: Triple Treats by Danny Katz and Mitch Vane
Little Lunch — aka snack time — is only fifteen minutes long, but it’s always full of surprises. In this trio of tales, Rory forgets his snack and does something that shocks everyone, Battie thinks he might have ruined Grandparents Day, and Melanie decides to hold a bake sale to raise money for homeless puppies . . . but the only thing she’s selling is a lumpy cake that smells weird. Who knew so much could happen in fifteen minutes? Based on the hit Australian TV series picked up by Universal Kids and Netflix, Little Lunch is a little silly — and a lot of fun.
Middle Grade New Releases
Briar and Rose and Jack by Katherine Coville
Lady Briar is scorned for her appearance. Princess Rose is adored for her looks. Unbeknownst to them, one or both may bear a curse that only true love can break. But the girls have little time for curses anyway—along with their friend Jack, they are busy plotting the downfall of the evil giant who plagues their kingdom. But how can children succeed when the adults are afraid to even try? And what if the curse manifests? Whose love could be true enough to save the day?
All of Me by Chris Baron
Ari has body-image issues. After a move across the country, his parents work selling and promoting his mother’s paintings and sculptures. Ari’s bohemian mother needs space to create, and his father is gone for long stretches of time on “sales” trips. Meanwhile, Ari makes new friends: Pick, the gamer; the artsy Jorge, and the troubled Lisa. He is also relentlessly bullied because he’s overweight, but he can’t tell his parents―they’re simply not around enough to listen. After an upsetting incident, Ari’s mom suggests he go on a diet, and she gives him a book to help. But the book―and the diet―can’t fix everything. As Ari faces the demise of his parents’ marriage, he also feels himself changing, both emotionally and physically. Here is a much-needed story about accepting the imperfect in oneself and in life.
Maximillian Fly by Angie Sage
Maximillian Fly wants no trouble. Yet because he stands at six feet two, with beautiful indigo wings, long antennae, and more arms than you or me, many are frightened of him. He is a gentle creature who looks like a giant cockroach. This extraordinary human wants to prove his goodness, so he opens his door to two SilverSeed children in search of a place to hide. Instantly, Maximillian’s quiet, solitary life changes. There are dangerous powers after them and they have eyes everywhere. But in this gray city of Hope trapped under the Orb, is escape even possible?
Captain Rosalie by Timothee de Fombelle, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, translated by Sam Gordon
While her father is at war, five-year-old Rosalie is a captain on her own secret mission. She wears the disguise of a little girl and tracks her progress in a secret notebook. Some evenings, Rosalie’s mother reads aloud Father’s letters from the front lines, so that Rosalie knows he is thinking of her and looking forward to the end of the war and to finally coming home. But one day a letter comes that her mother doesn’t read to her, and Rosalie knows her mission must soon come to an end.
Secret Soldiers by Keely Hutton
Secret Soldiers follows the journey of Thomas, a thirteen-year-old coal miner, who lies about his age to join the Claykickers, a specialized crew of soldiers known as “tunnelers,” in hopes of finding his missing older brother. Thomas works in the tunnels of the Western Front alongside three other soldier boys whose constant bickering and inexperience in mining may prove more lethal than the enemy digging toward them. But as they burrow deeper beneath the battlefield, the boys discover the men they hope to become and forge a bond of brotherhood.
Nonfiction New Releases
PB indicates picture book; MG indicated middle grade book.
Destination Moon: The Remarkable and Improbable Voyage of Apollo 11 by Richard Maurer (MG)
Only now, it is becoming clear how exceptional and unrepeatable Apollo was. At its height, it employed almost half a million people, many working seven days a week and each determined that “it will not fail because of me.” Beginning with fighter pilots in World War II, Maurer traces the origins of the Apollo program to a few exceptional soldiers, a Nazi engineer, and a young eager man who would become president.
Go For the Moon: A Rocket, a Boy, and the First Moon Landing by Chris Gall (PB)
The Apollo 11 astronauts have prepared carefully for their attempt to be the first men to land on the moon. The young narrator of this book has prepared carefully, too: he explains the design of the spacecraft, the flight from the earth to the moon, and the drama of touching down–while shadowing the astronaut’s voyage with one of his own.
Moon! Earth’s Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Stevie Lewis (PB)
Meet Moon! She’s more than just a rock―she’s Earth’s rock, her best friend she can always count on. Moon never turns her back on her friend (literally: she’s always facing Earth with the same side!). These two will stick together forever. With characteristic humor and charm, Stacy McAnulty channels the voice of Moon in this next celestial “autobiography” in the Our Universe series. Rich with kid-friendly facts and beautifully brought to life by Stevie Lewis, this is an equally charming and irresistible companion to Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years and Sun! One in a Billion.
Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut’s Story by Michael Collins (MG)
In time for the 50th anniversary of man’s first landing on the moon, this re-release of Michael Collins’s autobiography is a bold, sparkling testament to exploration and perseverance. In this captivating account, space traveler Collins recalls his early days as an Air Force test pilot, his training at NASA, and his unparalleled experiences in orbit, including the Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar landing. The final chapter to this autobiography is an exciting and convincing argument in favor of mankind’s continued exploration of our universe. Originally published in 1976 and updated for this new edition, including an introduction from astronaut Scott Kelly, Collins’s voice and message are sure to resonate with a new generation of readers.
The Magnificent Migration by Sy Montgomery (MG)
Sibert medalist Sy Montgomery takes readers on a staggering, emotional journey alongside the greatest land migration on earth—that of the wildebeest across the Serengeti—to provide a you-are-there account of one of nature’s most fascinating occurrences. Montgomery explores the wonder of migration, asking questions like, how do migration patterns sculpt the environment? Why do animals migrate? And how do they know where to go?
Graphic Novel New Releases
This Was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews
It’s the night of the annual Autumn Equinox Festival, whenthe town gathers to float paper lanterns down the river. Legend has itthat after drifting out of sight, they’ll soar off to the Milky Way andturn into brilliant stars, but could that actually be true? This year,Ben and his classmates are determined to find out where those lanternsreally go, and to ensure success in their mission, they’ve made a pactwith two simple rules: No one turns for home. No one looks back.
Sea Sirens by Amy Chu, illustrated by Janet K. Lee
Trot, a Vietnamese American surfer girl, and Cap’n Bill, her cranky one-eyed cat, catch too big a wave and wipe out, sucked down into a magical underwater kingdom where an ancient deep-sea battle rages. The beautiful Sea Siren mermaids are under attack from the Serpent King and his slithery minions–and Trot and her feline become dangerously entangled in this war of tails and fins.
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What are you reading these days? I want to know! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at karina@bookriot.com.
Until next time!
Karina
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