Hey Kid Lit Friends!
Lots of great books coming out this week, perfect for summer reading! Take a look and let me know what you think. 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.
Sponsored by Dynamite Entertainment
The adventure begins for children and adults alike, as the classic character Rainbow Brite comes to comics and brings a little color to your life! Wisp and Willow are best friends who live in a small town. They are inseparable, until one night Wisp discovers something is stealing the color from the world! To escape their grasp, Wisp must use her wits and the help of a new friend…from somewhere else.
Picture Book New Releases
Moth by Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Daniel Egneus
Powerful and visually spectacular, Moth is the remarkable evolution story that captures the struggle of animal survival against the background of an evolving human world in a unique and atmospheric introduction to Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection.
“This is a story of light and dark…”
Against a lush backdrop of lichen-covered trees, the peppered moth lies hidden. Until the world begins to change… Along come people with their magnificent machines which stain the land with soot. In a beautiful landscape changed by humans how will one little moth survive?
Future Astronaut by Lori Alexander, illustrated Allison Black (board book)
Does baby have what it takes to become an astronaut? That’s an affirmative, Houston! Discover all the incredible ways that prove baby already has what it takes to become an astronaut — from growing healthy teeth to eating from plastic packs to working in small spaces. Includes lots of fun astronaut facts to help prepare little ones for takeoff!
Nugget and Fang: Go To School by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Michael Slack
When Fang the shark is invited by his friends to attend Mini Minnows Elementary, he thinks it’s a great idea! But then his first day of school arrives . . . and suddenly, he’s not so sure. He’s not very good at reading or math. He doesn’t exactly fit in with his classmates. And the teacher looks crabby! Can Fang’s best friend, Nugget, and the other minnows turn things around and prove to him that school really is fang-tastic?
Bug Off! A Story of Fireflies and Friendship by Cari Best, illustrated by Jennifer Plecas
Lightning-bug-loving Maude wants to be a member of the Bug-of-the-Month Club in her new neighborhood, and decides that her entrance speech will be about fireflies. She reads, she researches, she prepares, and she delivers a speech that all the club members love―except for hard-to-please Louise. Louise won’t even let Maude in the club! So Maude vows to really let Louise have it for being so rude. But when she does, it’s not in the way anyone expects.
The New Kitten by Joyce Carol Oates, illustrated by Dave Mottram
As the only cat in her house, Cherie is accustomed to being showered with treats and affection. So when her family brings home a new kitten named Cleopatra, Cherie resents that she’s no longer the center of attention—and she can’t believe all the trouble that the kitten gets away with! Is one home big enough for two kitties?
Can Cat and Bird Be Friends? by Coll Muir
But there’s something special about this prey-and-predator pair…and they may just find that it’s our differences that bring us closer together. In a delightful picture book filled with pleasing banter and hilarious quips, rising talent Coll Muir creates the perfect unlikely friendship between unexpected creatures.
How to Walk a Dump Truck by Peter Pearson, illustrated by Mircea Catusanu
This vehicular spin on pet adoption features an unlikely pet: a dump truck. Kids will not only laugh, but learn. Just like a new pet, a new dump truck is a heap of responsibility, but it’s also loads of fun. Just remember: If you take care of it well, your dump truck will be your forever friend. Includes tips on: selecting the perfect leash at the hardware store; whether to feed your truck diesel or regular; cleaning up your truck’s messes at the dump; socializing with other trucks, and much more.
Chapter Book New Releases
Warren and Dragon: Scary Sleepover by Ariel Bernstein, illustrated by Mike Malbrough
Warren is a seven-year-old boy and Dragon is part stuffed animal, part fierce dragon, part best friend–depending on what part you believe most. And Michael is their new friend and next-door neighbor. When Michael invites them over to go “camping” in his basement, the dynamic duo don’t know whether they’re more excited or nervous about it. This is their very first sleepover. EVER. Sure, Michael promised there would be not one but two desserts to look forward to. But he also said he wants to swap–gulp–scary stories. Warren can think of nothing more embarrassing than calling his parents to pick him up early from a sleepover, but how is he supposed to fall asleep in a dark basement full of mysterious and unfamiliar noises?
Amelia Earhart and the Flying Chariot by Steve Sheinkin, illustrated by Neil Swaab
Siblings Abby and Doc have been racing through time to fix history after Abraham Lincoln, Abigail Adams, and Neil Armstrong started popping up in the wrong places, at the wrong times. When Amelia Earhart accidentally lands her plane in Ancient Greece, Abby and Doc partner with Kyniska, the first woman to win the Olympics, to get Amelia back on track to finish her first solo flight across the Atlantic.
Neil Armstrong and Nat Love Space Cowboys by Steve Sheinkin, illustrated by Neil Swaab
The students of Ms. Maybee’s class used to think history was boring, but that was before time started to get twisted! When a spaceship carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin leaves 1969―and lands in 1869 Texas―cowboy Nat Love decides to trade in his horse for a trip to the moon. Can siblings Doc and Abby untwist history and get everyone back where they belong? Houston, we have a problem!
Middle Grade Books
The Pennypackers Go On Vacation by Lisa Doan
Mr. Pennypacker is cheap. But Mrs. Pennypacker has wrestled money for a vacation from his tightfisted grip, and the family is on their way to a Disney cruise. Charlie Pennypacker is thrilled to be going somewhere―an eleven story luxury cruise liner, 212-foot water slide, and an all-night buffet awaits! So Charlie thinks. The vacation is actually a Wisney cruise, which means a dilapidated fishing boat, fake Disney characters, no water slide, eggs for every meal, and his enemy Gunter Hwang, who has been brought along for thirty dollars a day. On top of that, the captain is on the run from sinister men in dark suits.
The Problim Children: Carnival Catastrophe by Natalie Lloyd
All siblings are capable of magic if they stick together. But trusting each other isn’t easy for the Problim siblings when neighbors like Desdemona and Carly-Rue O’Pinion are working double-time to turn the town against them. From catapulting cattle to runaway corndogs to spiders on the pageant stage, the Problim brothers and sisters are blamed for every catastrophe at this year’s carnival. And to top it all off, Mama Problim is missing! Can the seven siblings come together in time to save the carnival and rescue their mom from a villain even more dastardly than Desdemona? Or will they discover too late what it truly means to be a Problim?
Level 13: A Slacker Novel by Gordon Korman
Cameron Boxer, king of the slackers, has found something worth his time. By playing video games online in front of an audience he can find both fame AND fortune — especially with Elvis (a beaver who seems to love video games as much as Cam) at his side. The only problem? Things keep getting in Cam’s way. Like school. And the club he accidentally started. And the misguided people in his life who don’t think beavers should be playing video games. It’s going to take some trickery, some close calls, and a fierce devotion to slacking in order for Cam to get to his goal — conquering the game’s infamous Level 13. But if any slacker can do it, Cam can.
Nonfiction New Releases
*PB indicates picture book, MG indicates middle grade book
Samuel Morse, That’s Who! by Tracy Nelson Maurer, illustrated by el primo Ramon (PB)
Back in the 1800s, information traveled slowly. Who would dream of instant messages? Samuel Morse, that’s who! Who traveled to France, where the famous telegraph towers relayed 10,000 possible codes for messages depending on the signal arm positions―only if the weather was clear? Who imagined a system that would use electric pulses to instantly carry coded messages between two machines, rain or shine? Long before the first telephone, who changed communication forever? Samuel Morse, that’s who!
FBI Files: The Unabomber by Bryan Denson (MG)
The Unabomber was a lone-wolf terrorist who carried out fourteen bombings that left three people dead and another twenty-three injured. A cunning genius, he dodged his FBI pursuers for nearly two decades, terrifying Americans from coast to coast. Agent Kathy Puckett, a spy hunter and highly trained psychologist, served as the turning point in the FBI’s efforts to understand the mind of the faceless killer. Her insights helped send more than a hundred agents to a remote cabin in the mountains of western Montana on April 3, 1996. There the FBI captured Theodore J. Kaczynski, engineer of the most notorious bombing spree in U.S. history.
War in the Ring by John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro (MG)
Joe Louis was born on an Alabama cotton patch and raised in a Detroit ghetto. Max Schmeling grew up in poverty in Hamburg, Germany. For both boys, boxing was a way out and a way up. Little did they know someday they would face each other in a pair of battles that would capture the imagination of the world. In America, Joe was a symbol of hope to a nation of blacks yearning to participate in the American dream. In Germany, Max was made to symbolize the superiority of the Aryan race. The two men climbed through the ropes with the weight of their countries on their shoulders―and only one would leave victorious.
Graphic Novel New Releases
Dugout: The Zombie Steals Home by Scott Morse
Twins Stacy and Gina Cavallaro are rivals on the baseball field, each pitching for a different little league team. Gina is a sports whiz and the star of her crack team, while Stacy’s band of misfits hasn’t won a game all season. The battling sisters also happen to be the youngest in a long line of local witches. So when Gina’s magic spins out of control and her spell accidentally raises a zombie, the girls have to set aside their differences and figure out how to make everything going wrong, go right. And Stacy’s team of misfits-Billy, Sanchez, Levi, Beans, Paddy, Killroy, Gomez, and Boots-must band together to save the day!
Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel by Michael Moreci, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin
In 2001, audiences first met and fell in love with a twelve-year-old criminal mastermind named Artemis Fowl. Since then, the eight-book series about his adventures has sold over twenty-five million copies throughout the world. To coincide with the major motion picture coming from the Walt Disney Studios in August 2019, here is an all-new graphic novel adaptation of the book with crisp, accessible storytelling and clear, cinematic perspectives. Readers of all ages can now follow the siege at Fowl Manor between Artemis and the fairies in action-packed, full-color panels.
Fill out our survey and enter to win! We’re always trying to do things better here at Book Riot, so we would love your feedback on this newsletter. Click here to complete the survey and enter to win a $50 gift certificate to Amazon; contest will close on June 30 at 11:45pm
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
*If this e-mail was forwarded to you, follow this link to subscribe to “The Kids Are All Right” newsletter and other fabulous Book Riot newsletters for your own customized e-mail delivery. Thank you!*